When You Don't Know Me
by aphrodite931
Summary: An obsession leads to dire consequences when Team Natsu ventures out on their latest mission, forcing Natsu to find himself in a future that never should have been. Now he must revert the time stream back to its original flow before time runs out.
1. Chapter 1: An Obsession

**Author's note: This is just a little something-something on the side of my other story. I hope you all like this little preview so far. Now if anyone, aside from Ree-Vance (that's right I am singling you out missy) can tell me the inspiration for the title, I will dedicate the next chapter to them.**

**As for this chapter, I dedicate it to Ree-Vance for making me actually get this story out there. Thank you girly! :) You are awesome! Also, please check out some of her stories as well! Moonstruck is her latest and it's very good!**

Chapter 1: An Obsession

"Young master, I have brought you the painting you requested," an older man announced, bowing respectively. The servant's black silk waistcoat tails flutter slightly around his matching suit bottoms from the movement. The trousers flowed gracefully down the man's leg to his perfectly color coordinated shoes that reflected the sparse light from the only oil lamp in the room.

"Good, leave it and go," a hand waved dismissively from behind a tall arm chair.

"Yes sir. …If may be so bold young master, I don't think that this obsess-"

"Hikaru!" a voice boomed, cutting the man off in mid sentence.

The older man shifted uncomfortably, but dared not retreat or raise his head.

"I fail to recall asking for your opinion, _ever_. Know. Your. Place!"

"Y-yes master. Please forgive my impudence."

"Tch. Rest the portrait there," The voice commanded, pointing to a disturbingly empty space on the wall of the cluttered room. Various knickknacks were strewn about the study, a rather feminine silver embossed brush lay here and delicate papers covered in a woman's handwriting were scattered about there.

Silently, two large men brought in a life-sized golden frame covered by a white tarp to protect the contents from being damaged. They moved slowly and the strain of transporting the heavy object could easily be read on their faces. Grunting, the men set the piece down where they were told. They spared a minute to quickly catch their breath but scurried out of the muddled room hastily when they heard the impatient click of the young master's finger tapping against the wooden chair's arm.

"If-if that will be all young master-" Hikaru had begun to say, standing up and inching towards the high double doors leading into the room.

"Wait a minute Hikaru!" the voice demanded, cutting the manservant short.

"Your children, they are currently attending the school funded by my family's corporation correct?"

"Y-yes sir, they are."

"Good. The employee discount you have been receiving up until this point has now been revoked for six months as punishment for speaking out of turn."

"B-but sir! I implore you to reconsider. Without the reduced price, my wife and I cannot afford to send my daughter and son to such a prestigious school! I beg of you to punish me for my rudeness and not my family!"

"Your discount has now been revoked indefinitely because of the defiance you have just showed me. Now I recommend that you leave before my kindness wears thin."

"Yes master." Hikaru replied solemnly, bowing once more before he left the room. He shut the heavy doors as delicately as possible, the immense weight of each oak door making it very difficult to do so. With a resounding boom, the doors finally closed and Hikaru lamented just how he would explain to his family what had just happened.

"Ah!" the young master's voice rang out, laced with an eerie mirth, "Alone at last my precious." The man stood up from his chair and paced to sheeted portrait. His feet narrowly avoided stepping on used up papers, books, and scraps of lacy dresses as he crossed the room. The tall, dirty blonde, debonair man reached out a pale and smooth hand towards the tarp. He was a person who had never known a hard day's work in his life. He had been pampered since birth, born into an affluent family and until a few months ago, had promised to a beautiful heiress. He had fallen in love with her the second his father showed him her picture when he was only ten. The boy thought she was his own personal angel, created just for him. Each July 1st, on his betrothed's birthday, he would be given a new picture of her. A delicate smile always framed her beautiful, feminine chin.

His hand clutched the fabric and flew off the offending sheet to reveal a large painted picture of his beloved. Chocolate eyes met his own gray-eyed gaze, captivating him. Lightly running a finger to trace the edge of the perfectly flawless skin he took in the small smile that always seemed to adorn her face. She was so demure, so beautiful. Blonde curls fell loose from her pins, framing her face. A few strands managed to dip low enough to reach the cream chiffon high-necked ruffle creeping up her slender neck. The off-white material trailed down into a raspberry colored ruffle that sloped into a slight V shape as the fabric rested just against collar bone. The claret trimmings flowed into the silky material of her luxurious dress, parting slightly for the simple detail given to the front of the garb. Roughly two in a half inches of a lighter pink fabric ran down the girl's oversize chest in linear pattern until it reached her waist which was tied tight to accentuate her womanly figure with a sash matching her high-necked collar. The skirt pushed away from, creating an attractive bell shape and donned the same dark pink hue as did the rest of the garment.

The teenaged boy had become obsessed with the blonde and was devastated when he learned his father had canceled the engagement.

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><p>"B-but why father?" he protested, a desperation in his voice that he hardly recognized. He had never before experienced this kind of longing. The young master always got what his heart desired, everyone knew that.<p>

"I will not bow to your petty whims this time!" his father bellowed.

"But I love her!"

"Love her? You have yet to even meet the girl. She still hasn't even been told that she's engaged …or _was_ engaged." The older gentleman corrected himself.

"That does not mean anything to me. I love her! You promised me to her when I was only ten! Will you go back on words now?" the boy spit back.

"Her family is bankrupt! They have lost everything! That foolish father of hers spent half of his fortune trying to get that wild child back and other through poor investments! They have nothing anymore and keeping up the engagement would only bring harm our name!"

"Is that all you care about? Wealth? Power? Namesake? What about love?"

"How can you possibly love someone you have never met!" his father asked him angrily.

"Tch. You really know nothing about me do you?" he said, fighting the urge scream at the man. He spun his feel and stormed out of the room, his father's angry cries pounding against his back, but the boy refused to face his father any longer. The argument had only hardened the boy's resolve as he stomped up to his wing of the mansion. He would get what was rightfully his.

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><p>"My sweet," The teenager cooed to the painting. "We will be together soon, just like how it was meant to be," he said, placing his lips softly upon the two dimensional woman's lip and could only imagine how wonderful the sensation would feel when he kissed the real thing.<p>

Her touch was the only thing the boy had yet to learn about the former heiress. He knew she looked just like her mother and admired the woman a great deal herself. She used Celestial magic and had run away from home a little more than six months ago. She had ended up joining the illustrious Fairy Tail and was a part of what was considered the most powerful team within the guild.

'Of course she would be a part of that team,' he mused to himself. His woman would settle for nothing less than greatness.

However, she would have to quit her silly adventure once they got married though. He could not have his wife running around across the magical realm doing as she pleased. After all, he had heard that two males were on this team as well and the possible conjecture and ridicule this fact would bring was far too great to let her continue on living as she did now. He would have to tame her but he was sure that he could do it. Besides, what was love without dominance?

A knock at the door interrupted his musing and he grumbled turning around to see the cumbersome wooden be pushed ajar.

"Young master, we've found her," a servant panted. He had run immediately to his master's chambers when he heard the news and found himself quite out of breath now.

"Very good," the young man answered, a devilish smile creeping onto his face. "Prepare the car at once, I wish to meet the old hag."

The servant ran out of the room as fast as his feet would take him, preparing the necessary items required for the young heirs outing.

"Soon Lucy, soon," the young master crooned turning back to the painting.

* * *

><p><strong>I know, it's short. But I just want to gauge a reaction before I write more. I still have Ophiuchus to worry about and busy myself with after all. Thank you everyone for reading this! Please comment!<strong>


	2. Chapter 2: Actuate

**Author's note: Ahaha! It seems as if the first chapter didn't hit it off too well! Oh well, hopefully this chapter will. But for the few people who did comment thank you. You guys are ALL so kind and thoughtful. I freakin smiled the entire rest of the day after reading what you guys and gals wrote! Thank you everyone! :)**

**Also, this chapter is dedicated to ShiningStellar who was the first and ONLY person to figure out just what song inspired me to write this story. Yay ShiningStellar!**

**Now, for the rest of you who want your name up here, I'm going to keep the question the same since so few people guessed it and because it is a kind of difficult question. I will give you a hint this time though, however, even if you do figure out the riddle, the answer doesn't answer the question I asked but it will help narrow down the song pool by a lot.**

**Cyclops have one eye and can see the past, the present, and the future; humans, or creatures with two eyes, can only see into the past and the present, thus a being with a Third Eye can only see … and thus they are rendered …**

**On a final note, I would like to thank my beta readerS! Yes, there are two. So thank you oodles and oodles, R.M. Taluth (who I hope is having a WONDERFUL vacation) and Mrs. HopeEstheim! You guys were amazing and this chapter would not be nearly as good with out you. Also, please check out their stories as well, Double Cross- R.M. Taluth and Until She's Home Again- Mrs. HopeEstheim! Both have more stories and I only mention these because I don't want to list them all.**

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><p>Chapter 2: Actuate<p>

The haggard lodging built just at the edge of the dark forest resembled an abandoned shack more than a home. The shady overhang of trees that loomed behind it seemed to threaten the dwellings fragile existence, as if at moment it would swoop down its branches and swallow the building whole. The blonde youth wrinkled his nose in disgust as his car pulled closer to the dilapidated building.

'Tch. Some people just have no sense,' he thought, callously blaming the owner of the house for the state of poverty of which they lived.

The shack's wooden beams had been eaten away over years from inhospitable weather and insect damage to such an extent that passersby could see the occupant inside. Not that many people passed by the seemingly ancient dwelling to look in on the wiry gray-haired creature, currently hunched over the cauldron mounted over the modest flames in the fireplace.

Slowly, the pristine black car pulled to a stop. The front driver door jerked open, revealing an older gentleman in a dark suit wearing dark sunglasses. He had no hair to speak of, his expression matching his cue-ball head, bald; it was devoid of any emotion whatsoever. Taking long strides that seemed to place no effort on the burly man, he made it around to the other side of the car in no time. Opening the sleek door, a thin, black clad leg emerged, slowly revealing a teenaged boy.

After he stepped from the vehicle's tenebrous confines, two larger, bulkier men followed. The three compatriots towered over the younger, more refined youth who paid them little heed. Taking the lead, the young man casually and calmly strolled toward the shack, a confident smirk adorning his face. He stopped when he approached the rotted through door and snapped his fingers, issuing an unspoken command to his companions behind him. One of the men stepped forward and pushed the door open, forcing it off of its hinges. The wooden board fell to the floor with a resounding clatter and the group stepped inside the hut. The boy focused his attention on the old shrew in front of him, still hunched over her brew, while the others eyed the room for potential threats. The inside of the home was nearly as cluttered as the youth's own private room, but spider webs and leering eyes did not press upon him in his own study. The young man stood in the room for a few seconds in silence, waiting for the woman to acknowledge his presence but his patience had begun to wear thin. He was not used to being ignored, let alone left waiting.

With another snap of his fingers and an accusatory point, one of the large brawny men walked up to the decrepit hag. He made no effort to speak but merely reached out his oversized hand to grab her shoulder. The instant he touched the elderly woman, sparks magically generated in the air surrounding the now trapped man. He screamed out in agony, taking his companions aback at his suffering. Within a minute, he fell to the floor dead, all of the life sucked out of him.

Silence hung heavy in the air and pressed upon the trio like sandbags until the old woman's cackling filled the room. Laggardly, she turned round to face the young men who had rudely entered her abode. Bristly, wan hair flew away from her wrinkled face as if evidence of her madness and unnaturally bright and youthful violet eyes popped out between sagging, fleshy lumps of skin that were her eyelids. Her back remained bowed, apparently a permanent fixture of her being, rather than a physical state caused by stooping over the pot hanging over the fireplace. Her twisted mirth incensed the youth, who believed that her giddiness was at his expense.

"You mock me, crone?" he spat out, slowly regaining his regality.

"My, my, you're a selfish one, aren't you? Here lies your friend, dead, and your only concern is your pride," She answered, clucking her tone in a disapproving way.

"And now you scold me?" He yelled back. He could feel his anger rising.

"Tut, tut, tut," she chimed, looking over the dead body of the stalwart man, "Life is so easy to take but so difficult to give back, don't you agree, Herbet?" she crooned to what was seemingly nothing.

The youth was growing more irate by the second at the lack of reception she had regarded his presence. This woman was clearly unaware as to who she was speaking to otherwise she would bite her tongue and plead for forgiveness at his feet. The image in his mind was quite a tempting one and the heir opted to make it a reality.

"Harpy! Beg for your forgiveness for you are in the presence of Yuuhiko Tashimoto, son of Kazou Tashimoto and heir to the illustrious Tashimoto Corporation. Even in this pitiful dwelling, you must of have heard of me!" he chuckled, closing his eyes expecting the hag to fall to her knees at any moment. But there was no resounding thud of a body hitting the floor in repentance, no desperate apologies, no begs for mercy…there was only silence.

Yuuhiko cracked open his grey eyes only to see her staring back at him, an insane smile completing her crazed appearance. He shuddered and took a step a back under her gaze but remembered his reason for coming and became resolute once more. The old woman crooked her neck slightly at his new found bravery.

"You think that just because you are the son of the late Kazou Tashimoto that I would know your name? You think that just because you are wealthy that I would bow down to you as do so many others? You think too highly of yourself, child."

"H-How did you know my father was dead? I have yet to have that news be released!"

"I know many things, for instance I know you were his murderer. I know how you crept into his chamber on that dark and stormy night and plunged a dagger deep into his heart. I know how the spatters of blood stained your face and how his cry of agony only enticed you further. I know how struck him with the dagger many a time even after he was dead. I know-"

"That's enough!" Yuuhiko screamed, picking up a nearby chair and throwing it at the woman. But the aged sorceress did not flinch as the stool flew just above her head to her right and shattered upon the cobblestone fireplace.

"You should watch your temper, you know?" she chided. "After all, if I were to die, how would get your precious artifact?"

Yuuhiko breathed heavily, his chest pushing out and pulling in markedly. A small ember of anger laced with madness showed in his eyes. The old witch smiled at his incensed state, her own collected demeanor causing him to calm down. Within a minute or two, his breathing returned to normal and he pushed back a few strands of hair that had fallen into his face.

"It _would_ seem that you know quite a bit, hag. May I inquire as to where you garnered your information? If I have spies in my house, I would very much like to know."

"Haha!" she croaked, finding a make-shift seat on top of the downed man's body. "A good mage never reveals her secrets…but I suppose I'm not a very good mage so I'll indulge you. Age, child, age is the answer. Once you become as old as myself, the only mystery left in the world is love and death."

Yuuhiko could feel his eye twitch at her answer or lack thereof. As if age could really tell her so much about him…and just what he had done. He pushed his irritation aside, realizing that pursuing his question would end as a fruitless quest and noted to have his entire staff interrogated.

"That is quite the answer. Regardless, it would seem that you _do_ happen to know my reason for gracing you and your pitiful abode with my presence this afternoon so I recommend that you give me what I desire if you wish no evil to befall this lodging," he smirked.

"Do you honestly believe that you are the one in control of this situation? Ha!"

"Perhaps your eyesight is failing you, but there are three of us and only one of you. How do you intend to defeat us?"

"Do not underestimate me, _boy_," she spat, the air suddenly feeling heavy. Small sparks crackled and snapped around the space and a frightful atmosphere filled the room. Yuuhiko and his companions took a step back, the larger men fidgeting nervously at the bouts of electricity. But just as quickly as the terrifying episode began, it stopped. Yuuhiko, turned his attention back towards the witch to see that her face had slipped into a delicate smile.

"Hmmm, but I suppose I will not bring any harm to you…yet. It has been ages since I have been given such a golden opportunity for fun like this so I will not impede your plans for the time being." The crone hobbled her way over to a dusty trunk covered by an old table cloth and dishware. It would seem as if the witch had been using the chest as a table but in an instant, her hands ripped away the old cloth, knocking over plates and silverware with it. The latter clattered against the ground, flying across the room in all directions. The woman opened the trunk and began to shuffle things about. Finally, she pulled out an odd staff. The rod was made of clock gears, all of which were frozen. The bronze components were perfectly protected by a glass shell that made up the handle of the staff and led up to a sharp spear point, donning a slight indentation that followed the blade down to the base.

"Here," she said, tossing Yuuhiko the staff. The boy fumbled with the rod, trying to gain a grip on the object but nearly dropped it on the floor. He had not expected her to so abruptly throw something at him.

"Careful!" the cantankerous bat hissed at the teenage boy's clumsiness. "If you break that then you can forget about your precious goal."

"Goal?" he mimed, notably more focused on the staff than the conversation. He turned it over and over again in his hand, taking in the delicate detail and fragile working of the rod now within his grasp.

"You should not need for me to explain to you again the vast capabilities of my power. I know everything, remember that."

"Hmmm," he hummed, pulling his eyes off the rod and looking back up at the old woman, "Well, if you know everything, you should know that this is merely insurance. I am sure that it will be of no use to me but no business man in his right mind would embark on any adventure without some sort of incentive."

"Tch, children these days," she commented bitterly at his arrogance.

"Well, now that I have received what I have wanted from this ill-kept dwelling, I will take my leave." Yuuhiko spun on his heels and headed toward the door, his compatriots right behind him.

"Do you even know how to use the staff?" she asked, forcing the heir out of his gleeful triumph and sending him back to reality. He had never considered that simply using it would elicit specific instructions. The boy turned to face the witch who was leaning over the dead body once again. This time, she plucked out a knife and slid it across the man's throat, letting a stream of still warm blood ooze out into a jar she had placed beneath his neck. Yuuhiko's men shivered slightly at the woman's callous treatment of the deceased but the boy himself was unfazed. He had already seen a dead body before and had, just as the woman had said, been the reason why the body of his father was now cold and stiff.

"The staff needs a life force to power it. Thankfully, your friend here is so recently dead that his blood is still usable for such as purpose," she told him, tossing his the red stained container. This time, Yuuhiko was better prepared for her toss and caught the warm vial easily. He thumbed the jar around in his palm, taking note of just how warm the liquid still was. He looked up after his inspection of the scarlet fluid and gave the woman a smirk before turning around once more.

"Yuuhiko," the witch called out to him again. This time the heir slowed his pace but did not stop.

"You will not find what you seek if you maintain your current course. You will only destroy yourself and possibly the one you hold dear."

Yuuhiko could feel his pulse quicken, his temple throb at the rush of blood to his forehead, and his fury swell.

"Do not speak to me of my loved ones!" he screamed back at her, turning himself around to face the witch only to find the hag nowhere to be seen.

"I will give you a few hours before I report the rod stolen. Your fate has now been placed in your own hands. What will you choose Yuuhiko?" the airy voice of the woman asked before it faded into nothingness.

"Young master?" the burly driver asked. The gentleman had already opened his charge's door and was ready to sit down in his own seat but waited for his master's permission before doing so. Yuuhiko turned around for the last time and walked out of the house, his prize in hand. He gracefully stepped into the car and waited for his door to be shut.

"Now there is no way I can lose." Yuuhiko spoke to himself, admiring the staff was once more.

* * *

><p>A few days later…<p>

Lucy Heartphilia, Fairy Tail mage, had happily situated herself at the guild's bar with one of the latest novels she was reading, completely oblivious to the world around her, in particular a salmon-haired dragon-slayer. He had actually joined her no more than half an hour ago, but he swore that it had been ages and was growing weary waiting for her to notice him.

"Lucy! I'm bored!" Natsu said dejectedly, his head drooped over the bar.

"Well I don't see why that has anything to do with me," the blonde answered, pulling her nose out of the thick text that she had previously been reading. "Why don't you go fishing or something?" she suggested helpfully.

"Nah. Happy and I just went fishing yesterday."

"Maybe you could clean up your house then. The last time I went over it was ridiculously disgusting, even for you," she told him.

"Luce, when I said I was bored I was serious. That wasn't even a funny joke," he deadpanned.

Lucy sighed in response. She had not meant to be humorous when she said it. His house was honestly a revolting mess, the kind that made even the nastiest creepy crawlers, cockroaches for instance, shy away.

"Whatever, would you please just let me get back to my book?" the blonde asked, a tad impatient to get back to her book. Harry, the magic wand wielding protagonist, was ready to face off with his rival for the last time. Finally, the psychic's prediction would come true; one would die so the other could live.

"Can't you just put on your special glasses and finish it in a few minutes like you did at the fat old man's house?" Natsu pleaded, recalling the Duke Everloo incident. The fiery mage was desperately bored to death and in need of some entertainment which obviously implied that Lucy was to be involved.

"That was only something I did because of the circumstances! When I read books, good books like this one," Lucy clarified, alluding to her varying ranges of esteem she held for certain texts, "I want to treasure the experience and enjoy the ride!"

"Ugh. '_Ride_'," Natsu said, repeating the blonde mage, his face turning a sickly green as he did so.

"Don't get sick just thinking about transportation!" Lucy screeched.

"Lucy's mean making Natsu sick like that," Happy commented, floating just above his crippled friend's pink head after having come over to join the blonde and the dragon-slayer when Charle had grown to annoyed with him.

"I did not make him sick! He did that all on his own!" she screamed in protest.

"You're the one who said you'd strap him to a boat and ship him off to sea," Happy followed up.

"I didn't say anything like that! I just said '-enjoy the ride'!"

"So you _do_ admit to saying something to make Natsu ill," the blue cat teased.

"I'm gonna get you Happy!" Lucy yelled, leaping from her chair and chasing after the snickering feline. Taunting her, he floated just above her reach. Lucy jumped desperately in the air after him, trying to grab hold of his paw, tail, anything really.

"Hehe!" Happy laughed sticking out a tongue at her in his satisfaction.

Lucy growled, running back to the bar to seize her weighty novel. Happy, however, was too absorbed in his own mirth to catch on to the blonde's plan.

"You should do something more productive with your time, like _reading_ you flea-bitten hairball!" Lucy yelled, having launched the thick volume straight for the Exceed.

"Ah!" Happy yelled, just before the book hit the intended target, sending him down to the floor like a fly being swatted. The navy cat and the heavy book fell directly on Gajeel's head causing him to swear upon impact.

"God damn it!" he let out, clutching his head and looking around for the source of his pain.

'Crap!' Lucy thought, ducking out of the angry dragon-slayer's sight. Luckily it worked and Gajeel didn't notice her or her book, which had conveniently fallen under the table, just out of eyesight of the irate bucket of bolts. However, Happy was not as lucky as the heavy volume and landed on the bench right next to Gajeel. The dazed blue cat had immediately caught the iron dragon-slayer's eye and led the mage to jump to a conclusion.

"Salamander! Next time work up the balls to attack me yourself instead of sending your weak little cat to do it for you!" he yelled, holding up the still unconscious Happy by the scruff of his neck.

"Hey! I didn't tell Happy to attack anyone!" Natsu spat back, instantly recovering from his previous bout of illness now that something remotely interesting was happening. "And what did you do to Happy, you metal eating freak?" he continued, just realizing Happy's unconscious state.

"I didn't do anything asshole! I found him like this!"

"Like hell you did! Prepare to pay for what you did to my nakama!"

"Bring it on shrimpy!" Gajeel retorted, tossing Happy aside somewhere and readying himself for a fight.

"HAAA!" Natsu yelled, pulling back a fist and running towards Gajeel. The iron dragon-slayer copied his pink counterpart's movements and a few seconds later, both mages flew back as a result of each other's punch. Natsu crashed into Gray and Gajeel was sent back into a stack of barrels containing Cana's precious alcohol supply.

"What the hell is your problem, Squinty Eyes?" Gray bit out, throwing Natsu off of him and into Elfman's back. The ice mage had been enjoying a refreshingly chilly bowl of ice cream just before the dragon-slayer had unwillingly interrupted him, although the pink-haired mage didn't care much for disturbing the raven-haired boy regardless of intentions or not.

"It is not manly to hit others from behind!" Elfman roared, unaware that Natsu had been thrown at him and had not knocked the burly man over on his volition.

"I'm gonna smash your face in today, Ice Prick!" Natsu said, ignoring Elfman and jumping towards the ice mage. Elfman bounded after the dragon-slayer eager for revenge and prompted an all out scuffle as anyone too close to the rambunctious flurry of hits and kicks was quickly sucked in themselves.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the building.

"My booze!" Cana cried, tears beginning to well up in her eyes as she helplessly watched her precious alcohol spill out onto the guild floor. She turned to Gajeel, her brows knitted down in anger. Macao quickly darted away from the incensed brunette that he had previously been talking to and ran for cover.

"I'm gonna kill that twerp!" Gajeel hollered, pushing himself up from the broken barrels.

"GAJEEL!"

The iron-dragon slayer turned round to face the irate card-user. He smirked at the killing aura radiating off of her. The long and spiky haired mage couldn't help but find himself amused that the guild's resident drunk would dare challenge him. Gajeel's over-inflated ego had honestly never even let him think anyone in this "pathetic" collection of mages could hold a candle to him, least of all the busty alcoholic.

"So? Whatcha gonna do about it?" he grinned.

"Grrrr." Cana growled in response, reaching a hand around her back and fishing around in her pockets to find her source of magic. "Summoned Lightning!" Cana yelled, pulling three cards out from behind her as she directed the blast towards Gajeel.

Gajeel did not even try to dodge the attack as he was under the false impression that he could merely swat the bolts of lightning away like one would do to an annoying pest but the iron dragon-slayer was sadly mistaken. The instant the sparks hit him, the former Phantom Lord member flew across the room knocking over several tables in the process. While other guild members lay scattered across the floor, the result of being hit by the airborne Gajeel or trying to get out his way, Erza sat perfectly still on her chair, staring at the spot where her table had once been. Only moments before had Mirajane given the ex-quip mage her morning slice of cake and now the delicious pastry lay somewhere under the broken heap of tables, smeared into the wooden floor of guild.

A few nearby observers witnessed what had just occurred and the only describable expression that surged through them would be akin to complete and utter horror.

"AAARRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGG!" Erza cried out in fury, ex-quipping her Heaven's Wheel Armor and bringing forth dozens of magical swords. At first she sent them towards Gajeel, who this time around, had enough sense to dodge the magical attack coming after him. The blades danced after him and others as a result of the great Titania's wrath. One sword flew just over Levy's head, nicking off a few strands of blue hair, and issuing a shriek from the short bluenette.

"Oi! You nearly killed Levy!" the bookworm's less than reliable guardians, Jet and Droy, yelled at Erza. The scarlet-haired mage gave them a glare, shutting them up but refusing to let the incident go, they opted to blame each other for not "properly protecting" the petite girl.

Lisanna, Wendy, and Charle sat at a table in back. The female dragon-slayer smiled demurely at the scene while Charle looked upon it condescendingly. Lisanna just laughed whole heartedly at the wild antics of her friends. It seemed as if they never changed, not even after all the time she had spent apart from the rowdy mages or even when they were alternate versions of themselves. Despite being so far from the brawl, the trio got sucked in. It begun with Charle being knocked over by a fly beer mug. The white cat was furious and charged into the fray, Wendy following trying to get her to calm down. But soon the small child found herself warily fighting off friendly rogues on her own, her destructive roar terrorizing whoever got in her way. Lisanna had willing jumped in after them, missing this kind of rambunctious behavior from her Earthland friends.

Slowly, the entire building began to erupt into an all out riot, shaking the newly built guild to its foundation. All members had engaged in an all out friendly brawl, all except for two.

Lucy slowly crawled out of the cloud of white dust stirred up from the racket and snuck to the bar. A few scrapes dotted her arms and scuff marks marred her face. She pulled herself up to the bar stool she had previously occupied before the fighting broke out, taking refugee in the soft wood grain of the stool.

"Can I get you anything, Lucy?" Mira suggested helpfully, cleaning a glass as if the entire guild wasn't being torn down around her.

"J-Just water Mira." Lucy replied weakly, tired from trying to escape from the frenzied fray.

"Eh? I thought for sure you'd order a chocolate shake like you do every day," Mira pouted, upset that she hadn't been able to correctly guess the blonde mage's desired drink.

"Well, normally I would, Mira, but I'm a little bit short on cash," Lucy answered sheepishly. Mira smiled, her mood instantly lightened that she wasn't completely wrong and nodded, turning her back to Lucy to get the celestial mage's drink.

"Oi Lucy! Did you say that you needed some cash?" Natsu bounded up, sporting an array of cuts and bruises that would surely worsen by tomorrow. The brawl continued to rage on behind him.

"Yeah, and my rent is due in a few weeks too," she lamented, clutching her head in despair and suddenly imagining herself homeless.

"Jeez Luce, you're really weird, you know that?" Natsu told her, his nose crunching up slightly due to her antics.

"I don't want to hear that from someone who _eats_ fire," the blonde retorted, glaring up at him. But he ignored her comment and the deadly gaze she directed towards him.

"How about we go on a job together?" Natsu asked.

"Pfft. What for? So you can recklessly amble into the situation and burn everything to a crisp, thus cancelling out any reward due to us as the money needed to pay for all of the damages will come out of our salary?" Lucy answered sarcastically.

"I-I guess." Natsu said, unable to discern the sarcastic tone to her voice.

Lucy sighed and looked up at the confused dragon slayer, and despite how hard she tried, she couldn't hold back the smile now spreading on her face. The pink-haired boy was so ridiculous and so precious all at the same time.

Natsu answered her smile with a grin of his own and gave her a thumbs up. And for a second, their world was perfect. Just being together like this was a wonderful feeling for both of them but a strong punch quickly ruined the moment. Natsu was thrown through the bar by the force of the blow, just missing Mirajane who didn't even spare a second to check on his condition.

"Take that, Squinty Eyes!" Gray yelled, standing triumphantly in the spot next to Lucy where Natsu had just stood.

"Here you go Lucy!" the take-over mage smiled cheerfully, placing a chocolate shake in front of the Stellar Spirit mage.

"T-Thanks Mira," Lucy said, not paying attention to the beverage placed before her, more focused on the pink-haired dragon-slayer covered in wooden debris and rubble for the ruined bar. She took a sip and instantly noted the delicious chocolate flavor.

"Eh? Mira, I thought I told you I couldn't afford a chocolate shake,"

"Don't worry about it Lucy. It's on the house," Mira answered, stepping on Natsu to get to the other side of the bar. Lucy felt slightly sorry for him as he let out an "oof" when the white-haired mage placed a heel directly into his gut. The blonde couldn't help but wonder if Mira had stepped on him on purpose as punishment for wrecking her bar for the umpteenth time. However, if it was payback, Natsu didn't seem to mind very much and bounced back up as soon as Mira got off of him, leaping towards Gray.

Scoring in a swift kick to the chest, Natsu launched Gray backwards and into the fray that was still raging on with no signs of letting up. The dragon-slayer followed the ice mage, yelling at how he wouldn't get away so easily. Lucy couldn't resist a laugh as she watched her friends mercilessly hurt and injure one another. But, far more important than the scrapes and nicks they would suffer from tomorrow, they were having fun.

A few hours went by before all the fighting died down and Lucy jumped down from her perch atop her bar stool. Most of Fairy Tail lay sprawled out on the floor, either unconscious or too worn out to move. Carefully, she avoided the strewn about bodies and made her way to the request board which easier said than done. Her new high-heeled boots were made for fashion's sake, not for maneuverability.

As soon as the blonde reached her destination, she noticed a certain dark-skinned mage passed out under the wooden slab.

'Nab.' she thought and smiled sadly to herself. The poor man had been struck by shrapnel kicked up by the fight and had passed out right under the request board. Lucy couldn't help but admire his dedication, remembering when he told her earlier that he was looking for a specific request that only he could fulfill. The blonde couldn't help but wonder what such a mission would entail as she knew very little about the Seith mage. Silently wishing him good luck and sleep well, she turned her attention up to the request board and scanned the wooden stand for a job posting. There was something about finding a lost cat, but Lucy passed over it, the reward was too low and Natsu would surely complain about how silly and easy the mission was anyway. Another asked for mages to investigate the disappearance of cargo on ships docking overnight in Hargeon.

'Ugh,' Lucy thought, just thinking of the trouble that that particular job would entail. For starters, Natsu and she were still on thin ice with the town's mayor after they had destroyed the port when they first met. Luckily, the mayor had not been alerted to their presence when they revisited the town to go to Galuna Island but this was different. The request was directly sent on behalf of the town of Hargeon, thus the chances of them having to encounter the mayor in that type of situation was too high for Lucy's liking. Not to mention, the mission seemed to involve transportation and would thus render Natsu completely useless if she got herself into a pinch. Lucy quickly forgot about the Hargeon request and continued scanning the board for more requests until she finally came across a mission that caught her interest.

**Strong, capable mage(s) required to retrieve stolen artifact from Madam Elle's home on Wednesday. The artifact is of great importance and value and must be returned at all costs. If interested, please contact Madame Elle at her home just out of Marabeth where further detail and instructions shall be given.**

**Reward: 600,000 Jewels**

Lucy silently pondered the request, staring at the paper. The mission seemed too challenging but not too dangerous at the same time. After all, it wasn't like the thief was a well known dark mage or anything. The reward was also pretty good as well and would cover her rent and utility bills, even after splitting it four ways. Pulling the parchment off the wooden slab, she sauntered over to Natsu who was sleeping peacefully. A day's worth of fighting had worn the dragon-slayer out along with the rest of the guild and Lucy couldn't help but find him a little cute appearing so vulnerable. But Lucy knew better by now, remembering when she had thought the same thing a few months ago and was rewarded by receiving a full force punch to her cheek, sending her flying. This time, she admired him from a little farther back before she decided to interrupt his slumber.

"Natsu. Hey Natsu. Wake up," she whispered harshly , not wanting to wake up the other guild members lying around.

"Mmmmm," he mumbled turning over in his sleep.

"Natsu!" she prodded, reaching out her arm as far as it would go to poke him forcefully without getting too close.

"H-hun-" the dragon slayer muttered in his sleep.

"Hmmm?" Lucy preened, forgetting about the safe distance requirement and getting closer to listen to what he was saying.

"Hungry!" he shouted, grabbing one of her arms and putting her hand in his mouth and chomped down, hard.

"IIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" Lucy squealed trying to free her hand from the pink-haired menace's grip. Most of the guild had managed to wake up from her scream and watched in groggy amusement as the blonde desperately tried to free herself.

"Yummersh," Natsu garbled, unable to say yummy with Lucy's hand still stuck in between his teeth. Lucy could feel her cheeks take on a slight hue of pink at the compliment, albeit it was an odd compliment but a compliment nonetheless, and could no longer bear to take the embarrassment any longer.

"GET OFF OF ME YOU FLAME BRAINED PERVERT!" she screeched sending the dragon-slayer flying off of her with a signature Lucy kick.

"Ugh!" Lucy yelled, looking at her drool covered arm. Thankfully, she had not been wearing a long sleeved shirt otherwise it would surely have been ruined from Natsu's slobber thus forcing her to kill the dragon-slayer.

"AAAAAHHHHH! WHO DID THAT?" Natsu hollered, finally waking up after the slamming into the wall.

"WAS IT YOU ICE QUEEN?" the dragon-slayer yelled, pointing to Gray.

"I DIDN'T DO CRAP DUMBASS!" Gray answered, getting up and glaring at Natsu. Tension filled the air as the two stared off, radiating dangerous auras.

"_Quit it you two_," Lucy threatened, the icy chill in her tone scaring the boys into submission. Each threw a friendly arm around the other and plastered false smiles on their face in hopes to appease the blonde who only sighed at the all too obvious pretense of friendship.

"Hey! What's you got there Luce?" Natsu asked, freeing himself from the false embrace he shared with the ice mage and pointing to the paper in her dry hand.

'I wonder why her other hand is wet?' Natsu asked himself but dared not ask the blonde aloud. She looked aggravated and besides, she was a weirdo.

"Oh. This is the mission I was thinking we could go on," Lucy told him handing the dragon-slayer the paper.

"Hmmm, sounds like fun!" he answered with a toothy grin.

"Hey! Let me see that!" Gray said, snatching the parchment away from Natsu. "For once I agree with you Squinty Eyes. So, when do we leave?" Gray asked, smiling confidently.

"Hey! Whoever said that you were invited!" Natsu yelled back at him.

"Of course he's invited Natsu, the four of us are a team aren't we? You, me, Gray, and Erza." Lucy answered.

"And Happy," Natsu pointed out.

"Aye!" The blue feline chimed in.

"Ok, the _five_ of us are a team then," Lucy corrected.

"Awwww! But I wanted to go on a mission, just you and me," he whined.

Lucy could feel blood rush to her face and tried her best to suppress the pink blush spreading to her cheeks. "W-We can go on a mi-mission next time, j-just the t-tw-two of us," she told him nervously.

'Great, I'm beginning to sound like Juvia now,' Lucy lamented to herself.

"Good. I'm sick of working with Ice Pop over here," Natsu laughed pointing a thumb at Gray.

Lucy could instantly feel her cheeks return to the pale hue and heartbeat return to normal at the dragon-slayer's explanation.

'Of course it's only because he hates being around Gray. Why else would he want to go on a mission alone with me?' she chided herself, her silly expression belittling her inner calm rational.

"I'm going to go let Erza know," Lucy told the boys as she sauntered away looking far more unusual than normal.

* * *

><p>"Alright! We'll leave tonight at 7 o'clock and catch the last train out of town towards Marabeth." Erza told the group after they had grouped together at a table.<p>

"Why can't we just walk?" Natsu protested but dared not speak again after the glare given to him by Erza and Lucy. Gray gave him a look as well but he didn't care about the ice mage and would have tackled him if had not been for the two females at the table.

"So, I suggest that everyone goes home and pack. We'll meet at the train station precisely at 6:45."

Lucy nodded and Gray smirked. Meanwhile, Natsu pouted and turned his head, signaling his understanding of what Erza had just said.

"Alright, I'll see you all then," Erza said, walking out the doors of guild.

"I suppose I should go home and pack too," Lucy announced, getting up and strolling out of the doors after Erza. Gray followed behind her and so did Natsu, all trying to prepare for what would come their way. However, little did they know that the challenge they were about to face was one that they could never ready themselves for.

* * *

><p><strong>And sorry guys. I had originally meant for the whole time travel thing to happen in this chapter but I just couldn't get to it unless I made this a 25 paged chapter.<strong>


	3. Chapter 3: Part 1: A House Call

**Ok, so I've officially decided that I am NEVER going to make a promise regarding the length of a chapter, the content of a chapter, or the release of a chapter EVER AGAIN! All it does is give major stress and headache and more often than not, make me a liar. So yeah, this one chapter is over 50 pages! So, I'm breaking it up into three parts that should be updated rather successively and I hope that that appeases you guys! **

**So far, no one else has solved the question so it remains as it was.**

**Also, I hope you all enjoy this chapter and by its end, Natsu will be sent through time. And please thank my beta readers Mrs. HopEstheim and R. M. Taluth who actually read all of this and checked for errors and let me tell you, this is a lot of writing to check and review.**

* * *

><p>Chapter 3: Part 1: A House Call<p>

The train spurted back into life, thick exhaust spewing from the smokestack.

"Finally," Gray said, his tone exceedingly bored.

"Ughhh. Hrmgsh muncherch langehr?"

"Huh?"

"HEROGHW MAWNCHERCH LANGONGSHR?" Natsu sputtered out to the confused convoy. The five mages, Happy being included in that count, had boarded the 7 o' clock train to Marabeth that evening and Natsu had, as usual, succumbed to his transportation illness. However the dragon-slayer managed to catch some kind of reprieve when the vehicle suddenly stopped in the middle of the tracks, no town in sight for miles to come.

Erza had volunteered to go find out what had caused the delay, but it was Lucy who had suggested that she take someone with her. The Stellar Spirit mage preferred she would take Gray because Natsu would become useless if the train began to move again; and she, well that was self-explanatory as to why she shouldn't go, being the weakest member of the team and all, or that _was_ how she considered herself until Erza opted to take Happy with her. The blonde mage had honestly forgotten about poor Happy but the feline _was_ admittedly small and easy to skip over with a mere glance. Regardless of the small twinge of guilt she felt for forgetting about the small creature, Lucy could feel her ego receive a small boost, remembering that he too was thought to be a part of Team Natsu. After all, surely she was slightly stronger and more valuable than a flying, talking cat? Although he _had_ saved her many a time.

"You are such a pansy. What kind of mage can't even handle a simple train ride?" Gray snorted.

"FOOKERM DUW MASHWROLE," Natsu replied weakly.

Gray's eyebrows twitched at the unintelligible insult, or at least, that is what he assumed it had been.

"You got something you want to say to me Blaze Boy?" Gray asked hotly, standing up in the small room.

"Knock it off you two," Lucy sighed. She couldn't help but notice that the two boys' antics had begun nearly immediately after Erza had left the train cabin to speak with the conductor. "Erza will be back soon," she followed up in an attempt to give her command more weight. She could feel a slight rush of relief when Gray immediately sat back down and Natsu forced his limp body to turn on its side, away from Gray.

The room's door abruptly slid open, revealing a valiant scarlet-haired mage and floating blue cat.

"So what was the problem?" Lucy asked.

"Apparently a ragtag group of dark mages had attempted to hijack the train mistaking it for a banker vehicle. They were rather weak and didn't pose much of a threat. I left the three of them tied up next to the tracks to be picked up by authorities."

"Heh. I bet they were real shocked when they saw you," Gray smirked imagining the unknown mages cowering in fear. Of course, he trembled before the scarlet beauty too but that didn't make it any less enjoyable when other people did it.

"Aye! They started shaking when they learned she was the great Titania," Happy added, flying over to where Natsu lay on the floor. The blue feline smiled nefariously at the memory of the would-be banker robbers.

Meanwhile, Natsu could only grunt in response to the details. He could no longer force himself to say anything, no matter how incomprehensible it might be. The weakened dragon-slayer could only lie still on the cabin's floor, wishing that he could have had his share of the action as well, but his stomach abruptly heaved in his gut taking his mind of such trivial matters. He let out an agonized moan from his position on the floor. There had not been enough room for him to lie on a seat without him resting on someone else. At first, Lucy had been assigned the role of Natsu's pillow but when he began to involuntarily drool over her skirt she shoved him off onto the floor where he would stay for the remainder of the ride.

"When do we get there?" Gray inquired.

"We should be there in the next half an hour," Erza answered, sitting back down next to Gray.

"Finermwee," Natsu gurgled with the last of his strength. Lucy could only assume that he was expressing his elation that they would soon disembark the train.

* * *

><p>"WOOHOO!" The dragon-slayer cried out in pure jubilation. The train had finally reached the small town of Marabeth, situated a few good yards away from the eerie forest that menaced the town with its presence. Natsu began to perform an impromptu dance of joy but was quickly stopped by Erza.<p>

"Stop behaving like an idiot and get your mind on the mission. Besides, your arm movements were off. You bent your elbow at a 90 degree angle when it should have been a 75 degree angle." Erza said, showing him what she meant, inadvertently making herself look just as ridiculous as he did.

Natsu tried to copy her actions but failed.

"Jeez, you really are hopeless. It's done like this, dumbass," Gray said, perfectly imitating the scarlet-haired mage.

"Shut up, Ice Prick!" Natsu retorted, still trying to copy the two mages' movements. Seeing as how the three of them were all partaking in the idiotic dance, Happy joined in as well but opted to perform his own routine rather than copy Erza, Gray, or Natsu. Lucy was the only member who had not participated in the ridiculous activity, and found herself increasingly embarrassed at her friends' behavior as a few people actually stopped to watch , mistaking them for street performers.

"Uh guys, shouldn't we be getting to Madame Elle's? Or at least ask around so that we can find it?"

"Ah! You're right!" Erza said, quitting the ridiculous dance and regaining her noble and knightly posture. Gray followed suit while Happy and Natsu continued to perform the jig, oblivious to everything else.

"Alright, Lucy and Natsu, you go search over there," the scarlet-haired mage instructed, pointing to the western half of the town. "Gray, you take Happy and go to the right and I'll go look around on my own." Lucy and Gray nodded in confirmation. With a parting smile, Erza turned around and began to stalk off down the moderately busy street.

Gray then turned around too, now facing Happy and Natsu who were still too caught up in their dance to bother to listen to what Erza had just said. But before he could insult the pair, more directly Natsu, Lucy gave him a chilling glare. She didn't need to break up another one of their fights, particularly just after the one person who could back her up, Erza, had left. The ice mage bit back his disparaging comment and scurried over to the pair of dancing fools. He grabbed Happy by the tail who was quite surprised at first until the pain of having his tail yanked on kicked in and tears began to well up in his eyes. But before the feline could protest at his treatment, he was being dragged off in the direction in which Erza had told Gray to go, Lucy's glower following the two until they were out of sight.

She let out a sigh, her attention reverting to the idiotic dragon-slayer who was _still_ dancing. The blonde could feel her glare return with a vengeance.

"Would you quit it?" Lucy spat out, giving Natsu a hard punch to the top of his head.

"OWWWW! What the hell was that for Luce? …Hey, where did everybody else go?" He asked, just noticing that they were alone.

Lucy resisted the urge to hurt him again, opting instead to grab him by the ends of his cream, dragon-scaled scarf and drag him down the portion of town they were supposed to search.

"Oi! Luce, you're choking me!" Natsu yelled, pulling at his prized possession to loosen its deadly grip on his neck.

Lucy sighed and released the material, causing Natsu to fall on his face. Immediately the scarf became limp and lax, allowing the dragon-slayer to gulp in fresh breaths of air between the dirty cobblestones that pressed against his face. The blonde rolled her eyes at his dramatic display, knowing full well that she hadn't been pulling on the material _that_ hard.

"Are you trying to kill me?" He accused, gaining his second wind.

"Don't be such a baby. Now come on, let's go find Madame Elle's." The dragon-slayer didn't seem to care much for her answer and the lack of concern for his well-being that it exemplified. Lucy grumbled internally but quickly thought up something that would make the dragon-slayer forget all about the supposed attempt at his life.

"You don't want Gray to beat you now, do you?"

"Like hell I'll let that droopy-eyed bastard find Madame Eric before us!" Natsu hollered, latching onto Lucy's arm and racing down the street screaming for Madame Eric to come out.

"Natsu you idiot!" Lucy yelled against his energetic cries. "No one is going to come if you keep screaming Madame Eric because her name is Madame Elle! Eric is a man's name for goodness sake!"

Natsu slowed down and came to a stop. He turned around to look at her quizzically, eyeing her bottom to top. Lucy could feel a blush creep up her cheeks at his inquisitive stare.

"W-What?" she stammered, trying to quell her rapidly beating heart. He didn't answer at first, leaving a small space between her question and what he said next.

"Did your boobs get bigger or something? Because you're harder to pull than normal!"

At first Lucy was about to answer him- no, in fact her chest had _not_ gotten larger- but then the implications of the question hit her. Lucy could feel her embarrassment fade away but her face remained flushed, but it was for a different reason. The blonde could feel her anger eat away at her. Not only had he insinuated that she gained weight but he had ignored her! He hadn't stopped so she could explain his mistake in calling out for 'Madame Eric', no; he stopped so he could tell her that she felt heavier than normal! The dragon-slayer had broken the two cardinal rules when it came to women, 'don't mention their weight, unless they have lost some' and 'listen to them, or at least pretend to'.

"So, you're saying that I've gotten fat!" she hissed.

Natsu didn't answer but instead backed away from her, sensing the rage building up within her. She literally shook with anger and the air grew heavy with her hostility. He honestly had no idea what he had said wrong. Even if she had gained weight, she was still incredibly beautiful.

"L-Luce?"

"LUCY KICK!" she screamed, launching herself at him and nailing him in the jaw with her high heeled boot. She continued to pummel Fairy Tail's Salamander for a few minutes, hoping to instill proper manners in him through her fists. Lucy had long ago given up explaining why he shouldn't say such things and now opted to inflict physical injury. It was about the only tactic she could use to get past his thick skull. The townspeople, too frightened to intervene themselves, just stood by and watched the boy get beaten into oblivion. Some of the older men clucked at the blonde's feisty attitude while others speculated on what could have riled her up so. Either way she soon grew tired of the activity and released her captive, who was barely recognizable at this point. Natsu lay bruised on the cobblestone road for the second time that day, only now he was covered in massive welts.

"Ummm, excuse me, but are you alright?" a young townsperson offered. Natsu could only gurgle in response but Lucy spun on her heel at the sound of the youth's voice. The teenaged boy froze after catching her attention. He was scared stiff having just watched her previous display and hoped that the same was true for her as was for ferocious predators; if you stay completely still, they won't see you. But Lucy was no monster, even though she could fight like one sometimes.

"Hey!" she greeted cheerfully, edging closer to the boy. He shook slightly at her recognition and she noticed his eyes dart around, either looking for an escape route or begging the townspeople for help with his pitiful gaze.

"It's ok, this guy here was just being an idiot and needed to learn a lesson," Lucy said, trying to calm the boy down. He seemed to breathe a bit easier but his nervousness did not vanish entirely.

'Better ask him quick before he runs off,' she thought tiredly, feeling a small twinge of anger for Natsu spark back up. After all, if he had not provoked her this boy would not be so scared of her. But she pushed the irrational notion to the back of her mind; the boy would probably sense the bit of anger if she didn't.

"We're looking for Madame Elle's, do you think you can direct us there?"

"M-Mad-Madame Elle's?" the boy gulped. Lucy nodded, confirming what he had just repeated but not overlooking his returning anxious state.

"I-I'm sorry but I have to go," his words fumbled awkwardly and he took off running down the street. If Lucy had not been so shocked by his sudden flight, she would have pursued him but instead she starred at his retreating figure, dumbstruck.

"What was that all about?" Lucy wondered aloud.

"You hit really hard, you know that?" Natsu said, once again breaking the cardinal rule of not listening.

Lucy sighed, looking down at him as he rubbed his aching head. The pink-haired boy looked to be in better health than he had just moments before and she cursed his rapid healing ability.

"And you're hopeless, you know that?"

"Huh? What's that supposed to mean?" he questioned.

"Forget it," Lucy answered, waving him off.

"No. I wanna know what you meant!" Natsu whined.

"Ugh. Not only are you hopeless but you're impossible," Lucy added. Natsu opened his mouth to protest but was cut off by a hoary man's voice.

"You two," an elderly voice called out causing the two to spin around and face an old man. He hunched over his walking stick, thick, bushy white eyebrows nearly swallowing up his weathered gray eyes. His wore an orange and gray, pin-striped shirt that hung to his knees, hiding the garments that clad his lower half, or at least that was what Lucy had hoped. "You're looking for Elle, right?"

Lucy and Natsu just nodded.

"Most of the people here are afraid of that mean, ole bag," he laughed boisterously, "But not me. No ma'am. I'm too old for that kind of nonsense now. If she wants to come down from her nest up by that cursed forest then let her. It's not like I have much life left in these feeble bones anyway!" The elderly man continued to cachinnate to himself.

"Ummm, excuse me, but did you say that she lived up by the c-cursed forest?" Lucy couldn't help but stutter at the mention of the occult.

"I sure did missy. Now, if you follow up the main road out of town for a good thirty minutes, you should find her house, if you can consider that mishmash of worn out wood a house," he laughed again, not bothering to explain the whole "cursed forest" comment.

Lucy could feel her heart sink. The only reason why people didn't go into detail was because they were scared or they didn't want to scare you.

"Come on Luce! Let's go! I bet you that that Ice Prick still doesn't know where to go!" Natsu chuckled gleefully at their success, grabbing hold of Lucy again and dragging her in the direction of Gray's scent. "Oh! And thanks old guy!" the dragon-slayer called out behind to the elderly man who was smiling after them, waving a goodbye.

* * *

><p>"Oi! Dumbass!" Natsu yelled through the town's streets, Lucy following behind him still held captive by his grip.<p>

"N-Nat-" she managed to say before her voice was lost in the dragon-slayer's scream.

"WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU AT, YOU ICED OVER BASTARD!"

"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?" another male voiced called out before Natsu slipped on a sheet of ice, sending him and Lucy careening down the road until their momentum slowed and they came to a stop. "Going through town and screaming out like that! Just what the hell is wrong with you anyway?" Gray continued, looming over the pathetic looking dragon-slayer. The dragon-slayer's body lay mangled on the road, a few limbs entangled with Lucy's own arms and legs. Happy floated over next to Gray, his lips curled in a devilish smile.

"Hehe, you two seem to be quite comfortable," the feline giggled, flying over to Lucy. The blonde fought the blush that threatened to overtake her cheeks at the mention of Happy's comment and the intimate position she shared with Natsu who seemed oblivious to just how embarrassing the situation was.

"He liiiiiiiiiiikes you," the cat continued, making Lucy incapable of staying how she was any longer.

"Get off of me!" she shrieked, pulling back her appendages.

"I could ask you the same thing you freakin' exhibitionist! Running around town in only your underwear," Natsu sneared as he obliged Lucy, jumping up and instantly freeing himself from Lucy and vice versa.

"Oh shi- When did that happen?" Gray exclaimed, looking around frantically for something to cover himself with.

"You're so freakin' gay man!" Natsu laughed.

"And that's coming from the guy with _pink_ hair!" Gray retorted, having found a suitable pair of bottoms now.

"It's not pink!"

"Knock it off you two." Erza commanded, smashing the two youth's head into each other. Lucy could swear she heard their skulls shatter a bit from the impact. The two mages slumped to ground, small trickles of blood falling down their faces from their foreheads.

"E-Erza," Lucy stammered, feeling slightly nervous for her own well-being after witnessing how the scarlet-haired mage treated the two males. Of course, Lucy knew that Erza would never dream of hitting her like that but still, it was frightening when she used such strength to inflict damage on the two of other strongest mages Lucy knew of.

"Hmmm?" Titania quizzed, her attitude not completely betraying that she had just inflicted what would be mortal wounds on lesser people. It was clear to Lucy that the scarlet-haired mage saw nothing wrong with what she had just done.

"Nothing," the blonde said, smiling back at her friend weakly.

"Did you manage to find anything about where Madame Elle lives? I looked at all of the shop names but none matched and when I asked a few people around town, they immediately ran away from me."

"Aye! That's what happened to us!" Happy said, nodding thoughtfully.

"Yeah, I got a similar reaction when I asked this kid but then some old guy came up to us and told us where we could find her."

"Really?"

"Mhmm, he said he was too old to worry about the superstitions surrounding her. It would seem as if she doesn't have a very good reputation here," Lucy explained.

"Hmmm," Erza hummed, placing an armor clad hand to her chin as she thought. "Well, I suppose that we'll just have to go and meet her and decide what to think of her ourselves. So where does she live?"

"Just off the main road about half an hour down …right on the edge of the c-cursed forest," Lucy said, her voice shaking at the latter half. Suddenly, a cool wind blew against her neck. Lucy's eyes bulged from her head and she could feel her soul begin to leave her body from the fright.

"Haha! So you're still afraid of ghosts Luce?" Natsu laughed jovially, holding his belly as it shook from his howls of laughter.

The blonde gave him a quick smack to the top of his head.

"Ouch! Why do you keep hitting me?" he whined.

"Why do you insist on being stupid?" she shot back, her cheeks burning red with embarrassment. So what if she was afraid of ghosts? A whole bunch of other people were too and just because she wasn't some kind of fearless monster like him didn't mean that she deserved to be teased for it.

"Alright, let's go meet Madame Elle and learn more about this stolen item," Erza interrupted before Natsu could say anything else to upset the blonde.

* * *

><p>"Y-you know what guys? How about we call this mission off and go back home? This is such a stupid mission a-anyway," Lucy stammered, her fear of ghosts and curses getting the better of her as they grew closer to the "haunted" forest. The gaggle of trees really did appear to be quite threatening and sinister. Unlike most forests that were lush and green, this one was primarily gray. The woodland's leaves held no luster or natural beauty but were rather scrawny and scraggly things, jutting out from the gnarled limbs like putrid abscesses. The forest was just as unsettling as the unfortunate abode that was settled just before its terrifying clutches.<p>

"Jeez, you're such a weirdo Luce. You were the one who picked out this mission in the first place," Natsu said as he strolled just in front of her along the winding path.

"Sh-Shut up! I didn't know that we'd have to go somewhere so creepy when I chose it!"

"I know! You picked a really good one!" Natsu grinned, undeterred by the spooky scenery.

"That's not what I meant!" Lucy yelled back.

"That shack looks really crappy. Do you think anyone really lives in there?" Gray asked.

"Well, this is where the man said to go," Lucy answered as they got closer and closer to the ill-kept dwelling.

"Maybe he lied," Happy chimed in.

"Now why would he do that?" the blonde questioned.

"Maybe he was a vengeful spirit from the forest and wanted us to come here so he could eat our souls," Happy said, an evil glint in his eyes.

"D-Don't say that!" Lucy shouted, her nerves beginning to fray even more.

Happy just giggled at her reaction, flying off towards Erza so Lucy wouldn't hurt him.

"Damn cat," she grumbled, quickening her pace until she was right at Natsu's heel, clutching onto his vest. The dragon-slayer turned around as if to tell her to let go but her sheepish glance forced him to bite back whatever words he had intended to say and let her grab onto him as she pleased. He mumbled something that Lucy couldn't quite catch, nor could she see the slight flush on his cheeks.

"I think I just saw someone sitting down inside," Erza said.

"Is-Is it a ghost?" Lucy whispered, hiding behind Natsu's back. The heat radiating off of him comforted her slightly.

"Yeah, I can see them too," Gray spoke up. Lucy peered at the dwelling from the safety of Natsu's back to see that Gray and Erza were right. A short, scraggly old woman was sitting by the fireplace and staring at the door as if she was expecting company. The woman didn't seem to be a malevolent spirit, much to Lucy's relief, but then again you never know when it comes to ghosts.

"Alright! I'm getting all fired up!" Natsu whooped excitedly and quickly closed the short distance between him and house, Lucy still clutching his back the entire way as she cried over his all too eager attitude. She would have much preferred to hang back a little bit longer and gather up her courage before they reached the decrepit building. Natsu stopped just outside the where the door should be and Lucy had thought it odd that he had not barged in until she saw why he had stopped. An aged and weathered sheet, spotted with holes caused by hungry moths, hung in front in the door frame. Through the runs and rips, the old woman was clearly visible and staring straight at them with piercing violet eyes that looked far too youthful to belong to such a decrepit looking crone.

'This is way too creepy!' Lucy lamented to herself.

"Come in," the elderly witch cackled, snapping her bony fingers. The fabric flew to the side at her snap, revealing the inside of the home completely. The house was beyond dusty with various knick knacks strewn across the floor and cobwebs glittered among the rafters. Natsu stood back for a moment, surprised at the sheet's sudden flight but soon a grin crossed his face and he waltzed into the room, Lucy following after him closely.

"Are-Are you Madame Elle?" Lucy asked, happy that Natsu was between her and the old woman.

"Yes, my dear, I am she."

"Cool! We're the mages from Fairy Tail that you asked for!" Natsu spoke up cheekily. Erza, Gray, and Happy had finally caught up to the Lucy and Natsu by this point and were just entering the shanty.

"My, that's excellent news," the witch smiled mischievously. Everyone but Natsu caught the playful sarcasm in her voice.

'She must have seen us coming up the road and figured it was us considering how the townspeople seem to fear her,' Lucy thought to herself.

"Yes, this blasted town of fools have seemed to make up some rather terrifying rumors about me, frightening off most of my potential visitors," the hag quipped.

Lucy stared dumbstruck at the woman and took a few steps back.

"H-How did you know what I was thinking?"

"Haha! You know, you're the second person who asked me that this week and I'll tell you what I told him- Age. When you're as old as I am, few things are unknown to you."

"Excuse me, but did you say 'second person'?"

"That I did missy," the woman said, answering Erza's question.

"Who was the first?" Gray asked.

"Yes Herbert, I think that they are quite a sharp bunch myself," she unexpectedly smiled to the empty space to her left.

'No-No way! Is she talking to a ghost!' Lucy asked herself, her knees knocking softly at the thought. The bat turned back to face them and smiled, revealing her stained teeth.

"The first person is the man who stole the item in question that I wish for you to bring back."

"And just what item might that be?" the scarlet-haired mage asked again.

"You know child, your hair color is quite unusual. Perhaps you would be willing to part with a few strands for an old witch like myself?" The woman asked, ignoring Erza's question.

"No. I'm sorry but I will not give you any of my hair," the ex-quip mage answered, her eyes narrowing at the woman. There were a few reasons why a mage would want a person's hair and none of them were legal.

"Bah, no matter then," the crone flippantly responded.

"E-Excuse me," Lucy spoke up, "but you haven't told us just what this item looks like or what you know about the people who stole it."

"Yes, yes, I'll tell you everything in good time, but let me get a closer look at you first." The hag preened, her interest falling onto Lucy now. The crone swooped in and took Lucy's hand before anyone could protest. The old woman flipped the hand over and tenderly explored her palm, tracing a feeble finger across the flesh. Madame Elle stopped, leaving her digit directly in the middle of the blonde's palm as she gazed up at her with eerie violet orbs. "Very interesting." Grabbing hold of Lucy's wrist, she pulled the young girl behind her until they closed the few steps between them and Natsu. The old crone took hold of the fire mages hand as well and examined it just as she had done with Lucy. Her lips spread into a coy smile as she looked up at the two. "You two share a strong bond."

"Of course we do," Natsu snorted, "we're each other's nakama after all."

The crone's smirk fell into a frown at his idiotic remark. "If that is how you continue to see the other, you will not be able to overcome the many challenges you will face in the future, or the past for that matter."

"Huh?" Natsu asked, his face scrunching up as a side-effect of his confusion.

"I'm sorry, but did you say, 'the past'?" Lucy asked.

"I did say that, yes."

"I think that you had ought to explain what you meant by that and the details of our mission so that we can understand what we are supposed to do and just what we are up against," Erza spoke up, honestly growing tired of the peculiar witch.

"No, I do not think that I will. It would take too much fun out of the whole affair. But, I am not an unreasonable woman and I will answer a few of the more obvious inquiries. I suppose that you first want to know what you are looking for, am I right?"

Erza bit back her comments and nodded her head. She would press her previous questions again later, but right now the hag was finally giving them some of the information they came here for initially so she would let her speak.

"My stolen possession is an ancient and magical staff. It is truly one of a kind so there should be no qualms about mistaking it for another one. Brass clock gears make up the rod and are incased in a clear resin. The tip is like a spear's head with a slight indentation in the blade. Now, the man who stole it from me is Yuuhiko Tashimoto."

"No way!" Lucy breathed out. The group of Fairy Tail mages all turned to face her, their attention completely transfixed on the blonde.

"Do you know this guy Lucy?" Gray asked.

"Well, not personally but I do know that he is the son of one of my dad's former business partners. His family was just as wealthy as mine was, if not more."

"Hmmm, so why would he consider this staff so valuable that he would resort to stealing it?" Erza hummed, voicing the obvious opinion they all shared.

"Hey Lady, what aren't you telling us?" Gray said aloud, turning to face where the old biddy stood previously only to find that she was gone. The group scoured the room with their eyes, trying to catch onto some trace of gray-haired woman but to no avail.

"W-Where did she go?" Lucy stammered.

"Maybe she was a ghost," Natsu answered seriously.

"Aye. Only spirits could disappear like that," Happy said, backing him up.

"Why do you two keep saying things like that!" Lucy screeched, hitting the dragon-slayer on the head and making a mental note to do the same to Happy later once he was in reach, before she scurried over to the protection that was Erza. "Not all the jewels in the world are worth this!" she complained.

"Come on. Let's go over to this Yuuhiko Tashimoto's and see if we can learn any more about all of this," Erza decided, giving a soft sigh at the recognition of defeat.

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><p><strong>Alright, the next chapter should be updated soon, I hope you like it. <strong>


	4. Chapter 3: Part 2: Another House Call

**I hope you guys all like Part 2! Gerza fans should be quite happy with what I've done in it.**

**Oh! And the chapter dedication question remains the same! **

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><p><strong>Chapter 3: Part 2: Another House Call<strong>

"No! I said I was never going to ride a train again!"

"Oh, come on, Fire Breath. Stop being such a wimp."

"What did you say, Snowflake?"

"I said that you're acting like a freakin' sissy!"

"You wanna die, Freezer Fart!"

"Bring it on Sparky!"

"Knock it off you two," Erza scolded, bringing the fight to a halt before it could really begin. The boys each threw an arm around the other's shoulders and forced smiles that spread thinly across their features. Erza looked down at them happily, entirely missing that it was all an act.

"All aboard who is going aboard!" a rail crew member yelled from his post atop the stairs that lead into the train's passenger cabins. Natsu flinched at the call as his four companions stared at him expectantly. They all knew he was getting on the train, it was just a matter of whether he would do it of his own volition or whether he would be carried in.

"I said I'm not doing it!" he hollered under their pointed gazes, inadvertently choosing to be carried in.

"Would you please come here Natsu?" Erza asked sweetly.

The dragon-slayer took an involuntary small step backwards at the odd and sickeningly sugary tone in her voice. He would never admit that he was completely terrified of what she would do to him next. Erza sighed at his trepidation and approached the pink-haired boy's trembling figure. She put a comforting hand on his shoulder, surprising him.

'Maybe she really won't hit-' Natsu thought foolishly until the sharp pain of a metallic glove punching him square in the gut rendered him unconscious. Erza hauled the comatose dragon-slayer over her shoulder while Gray took care of her enormous pile of luggage. Lucy kept in line with the group as Happy flew over her shoulder, casting what looked to be worried looks over at Natsu.

"Don't worry Happy. Natsu will be just fine," she told him, trying to ease whatever troubles that plagued the feline.

"Oh yeah, I know."

"Then why are you looking at Natsu like that?"

"The way that he's draped over Erza reminds me of a giant pink fish," Happy answered, making Lucy realize that the look she saw in his eyes was actually hunger laced with fantasy. The blonde felt a paltry bit of pity for the dragon-slayer at his adopted son's callous attitude toward his rough treatment and suffering. But then again, Happy was quite used to such a scenario by now, to the point that it no longer affected him. It was commonplace as giving someone the time, except he rarely did that since not many people try to ask a cat for the time.

Handing the ticket master their paper stubs that proved that they had paid for their fare, the group found an empty cabin to rest in during the three hour long train ride to Tashimoto estate in D'nurr. Like Lucy's former home, the entirety of D'nurr belonged to the Tashimoto corporation, stretching as far as the eye could see and then some.

"So this guy is pretty rich, huh?" Gray said aloud, the first one to test the silence in the room.

Lucy turned to him and nodded, "Yeah, the Tashimoto family was the group my dad would always go to when he was looking for additional funding for a project."

"Man, none of this makes sense," Gray scowled, throwing up a hand to run his fingers through his raven hair. "Why would such a rich little prick steal from such a crazy old bat?"

"I don't know, but we'll find out once we get off this train," Erza answered stoically.

"Aye!" the blue feline chirped, making a comfy seat out of Lucy's lap who was situated just across from Erza and Gray. Natsu was sharing a bench with the blonde and thus Happy, his head leaning against the windowsill, a rare expression of calm and peace on his face. Lucy couldn't help but smile at his tranquil slumber before her attention was redirected back to Gray and Erza who were trying to occupy themselves and pass the time. Erza had called forth a sword and set about sharpening the steely blade and Gray was forming miniature ice sculptures in his palm. It was an endeavor that raven-haired mage had recently taken to after he found that it helped him to gain greater precision and control over the frigid element. The more detailed and vivid the object he could create, the better his accuracy in battle. All of the mages sat about the cabin, absorbed in their own various activities, blissfully ignorant to what they would soon face.

* * *

><p>"Alright, it's time to kick some ass!" Natsu roared, his excitement never dwindling despite the ridiculously grandiose and extravagant structure in front of the group. Team Natsu had disembarked from the "evil" train, as Natsu had referred to it, a few minutes ago and unlike the situation in Marabeth they had no difficulty learning the location of the Tashimoto residence. The home resembled a castle more than the mansion that they were expecting and could be seen from miles away. Even Lucy was surprised. She had never bothered to accompany her father on any one of his business trips and had thus never seen the Tashimoto family home, not that Mr. Heartphilia would have let her tag along anyway.<p>

"I wonder if those fountains have fish in them," Happy said dreamily, staring shamelessly at the two fountains that were large enough to double as swimming pools, water spouting from alabaster lion heads. The granite tubs were placed on each side of the ornate marble slabs that made up the pathway to the lavish abode. Luscious tufts of grass covered the remainder of the spacious grounds and exotic flowers and plants were thrown in tastefully here and there for decoration. The team could make out a loud amount of neighing and stomping coming from the stables. Even Lucy thought it odd, no matter how wealthy or how much of a horse lover an individual was, to own so many horses. A few elaborate carriages and cars could be seen jutting out from the car port, which from Lucy's perspective was rather large, only adding to the strange atmosphere.

"Well, come on. Let's go, guys!" Natsu stated recklessly, first placing a hand on the rod-iron gate that blocked their entrance to the magnificent dwelling and then a foot in an attempt to mount the florid bars.

"Would you cut that out!" Lucy shrieked pulling the dragon-slayer back down.

"Oww!" he protested falling onto the ground gracelessly. "What was that for?"

"Stop being so stupid! Do you really think a place like this wouldn't have adequate security measures to prevent someone from climbing over the gate? The second you got to the top, spikes probably would have appeared from the bar and impaled you or something!" Lucy retorted, eyeing the gate suspiciously. Finally, she found what she had been looking for. She bent down to pick up a small pebble, shooting a glare at Natsu who was watching her indignantly, still upset that she had been so rough with him. The blonde tossed the pebble at the spot on the gate that had caught her attention and the mages watched in grim horror as the rock was zapped with a tremendous bolt of electricity. The magnitude of the shock evoked blinding flashes of light and cast long shadows along the ground as if it were the setting sun itself. After a minute, a surprisingly long time when watching something be electrocuted, even if it was inanimate, the stone shattered into miniscule specks of dust that sparkled down to the ground. The bars fizzled and few streaks of the electricity that pumped through the rock could be seen darting against the metal before it all fell still once again. Lucy turned back to look at Natsu whose eyes were still transfixed on the spot the stone had been only moments before.

"Hey! Who's there!" a gruff voice called out, taking the blonde's attention off of the dragon-slayer. Natsu's focus also drifted from the empty space where the pebble had met its cruel end and the rest of the group's interests fell off of the two mages in front of them and onto the gaggle of men now approaching them.

'Crap! The trap must have set off some kind of alarm to inform the guards of our presence,' Lucy realized as a group of men reached the gate. All of them were dressed formally with long ebony split tailcoats falling to their kneecaps. An older gentleman with long silvery hair approached the iron gate, distinguishing himself from the rest of his comrades.

"What is your purpose here? Are you party guests of Tashimoto?" he queried, taking in their appearances slowly.

"Party guests?" Gray repeated.

"Yes, the young master has invited all of the land's most esteemed and respected men and women. Now I will ask you again; what is your purpose here?"

"We are mages from Fairy Tail and are here to see Yuuhiko Tashimoto in regards to some of the details involving a mission we undertook," Erza declared to manservant, who seemed a bit surprised at her answer.

"Fairy Tail? By any chance, is Mrs. Lucy Heartphilia present?" he asked, his eyes darting between Erza and Lucy as if trying to determine which one of them was the female that they had been expecting. He found his answer when the blonde woman backed up slightly at the recognition of her name.

"H-How do you know my name?"

"You are the guest of honor of course. I apologize for not intercepting you sooner but I honestly did not believe that you would arrive so quickly. Your invitation was only sent out last night after all," he finished opening the gates with a large, gilded key.

"Invitation?" Happy catechized, taking the man aback as the feline did to most people when he spoke for the first time.

"Y-Yes," the servant stammered, trying to regain his composure.

"But I didn't get any invitation. I'm only here because of a mission like Erza said," Lucy told him, sure that the man had to be confused but then again, if he was, why did he know her name.

"Well, that most certainly is odd but I suppose that would explain you and your entourage's casual attire. But no matter, as long as you here the celebration can move forward. If you and your companions would just follow me, I can direct you to the changing quarters and supply you with more suitable clothing before we go see the young master."

"I'd prefer if we could meet this Yuuhiko person dressed as we are," Erza stated, staring down the old man who did not even flinch under her weighty gaze.

"Yeah, Ice Pop over here would probably lose his shirt in a few minutes anyway," Natsu jeered.

"Shut the hell up, Ash Brains!"

"Ehhemm," the man servant coughed quelling the boy's argument and bringing everyone's attention to what he had to say next. "I'm sorry, but the event is strictly a black tie affair and I can't permit anyone entrance if they are not properly dressed."

"I suppose that it can't be helped then," Lucy sighed, shaking her head slightly at the turn of events.

"Wonderful! I'm glad that the young miss sees it that way," the man said happily, using his arms to convey that they were to follow him down the path to the mansion. Lucy was the first to oblige by taking a bold step forward, masking her inner anxiety.

* * *

><p>"This place is even bigger on the inside!" Natsu exclaimed, his voice reverberating through the spacious foyer. An extravagant double staircase trimmed in pure gold bridged over a large hallway before leading off into corridors of its own whilst tracing down into the entranceway. The stairs were covered in a bright red satin that flawlessly followed the contours of the steps until it led to the first level, where a black and white marble tile scheme took over. A heavily embellished chandelier radiated ambience and light below onto the astounded convoy who stared in unabashed marvel at the rich tapestries and painting upon the walls as well as the other valuable treasures on display.<p>

"Yes, the Tashimoto family takes great pride in their residence. The commoners call it 'the Palace'." the manservant responded, walking them through the large hallway just under the second story. The mages were all so preoccupied with the vast assortment of wonders and precious artifacts that they all missed the absence of their rosy-haired nakama.

"The young ladies can change in here. An assortment of dresses have already been brought in. I hope that you each find one that suits your tastes. If you would need any assistance I can all upon my daughter and-"

"No thank you," Lucy said, cutting him off short. She was already feeling awkward and uncomfortable with the whole arrangement. This place just reminded her too much of the life she was desperate to leave and having a servant girl help her into a dress would be too much. Besides, if she had trouble she could have Erza help her and vice versa. Virgo was another reliable set of hands too if it came down to it.

"If the young miss says so," he said, bowing respectfully. Lucy let out a tired laugh at his formal behavior, knowing that he wouldn't let up even if she asked him to. "I will be back to escort you and your friends to the party in thirty minutes,"

"Thank you for your consideration," the blonde answered, edging towards the door and the release it would bring from the social pressure that was rushing back to her as she stood in the manservant's presence.

"It is no trouble at all. Now if you two gentl-" the man had begun to say before letting his sentence hand dryly in the air. Lucy turned to where his attention was focused, instantly realizing what must have caused his dismay. "I apologize, perhaps it is because of my old age, but I thought that there had been another gentleman with rosy pink hair in your party."

"Natsu," Lucy hissed.

"That dumbass! Can't he even follow someone properly? He's gonna get us thrown out or something!" Gray moaned, imagining what shenanigans the idiotic dragon-slayer had found himself stumbling into. Erza crossed her arms and appeared to be deep in thought as her brows furrowed. Lucy couldn't help but wonder if the mage was trying to think of where Natsu might have run off to or if she was thinking up a suitable punishment for when he returned. Happy had apparently noticed Erza's contemplating look as well, but unlike Lucy he did not need to wonder about just what the scarlet-haired mage was thinking.

"Uh-oh. Natsu's in trouble," Happy giggled.

"You shouldn't laugh like at other people's misfortune Happy, otherwise people will begin to think that you're sadistic," Lucy sighed, orgetting her anger for a moment to chide the feline.

"I am not Satan!" Happy retorted, tears welling in his eyes.

"I didn't say 'Satan' I said 'sadistic'! There's a difference you flea bitten hairball!" Lucy hollered.

"Oh come on, let's go get that moron back Happy," Gray said, grabbing the cat by the tail for the second time that day much to the feline's disapproval.

'I hope this doesn't become a habit,' he thought in anguish, his tears falling freely now from the pain.

"I'm sorry but I must insist that you stay with me," the manservant piped up, his statement making Gray stop in his tracks and release his hold of the feline.

"Why?" Erza asked, arching a perfectly manicured brow at the elderly man.

"This house is very large and a person who is not well accustomed to it can easily get lost and may not be discovered for weeks. It has happened before where newly hired staff go missing for days on end, only to be found half-starved to death by a search party of more seasoned employees later. If you were to go after him too, you would only face the same fate."

"Kuso. That damn bastard is always making a mess," Gray seethed.

"But I implore you not to worry for his well-being. I will submit a request for a search crew to be formed and launch after I escort you to the men's private dressing area," the servant finished, his voice taking a slightly more urgent tone.

"Alright, let's just get this over with," Gray sighed, obliging the man.

"See you in a bit Gray, Happy!" Lucy called out after them as the pair stalked down the hallway after the old man. Gray threw up a hand in recognition of her comment before the three turned down another hallway and out of sight.

The blonde sighed at the recent turn of events before following Erza into the room and closing the door behind her. She took solace in the soft click of the door locking, knowing that they wouldn't be disturbed. The Celestial mage was growing tired of the pampering the servant seemed to be giving her. Perhaps it was her imagination but she had yet to hear the man refer to anyone else as "young miss" or master as would be the case for Natsu, Happy, and Gray.

'I'm probably just being too sensitive,' Lucy reasoned to herself, doing her best to brush aside any negative thoughts her mind might be harboring.

"Lucy, are you alright?" Erza questioned, noticing something had been upsetting the blonde for a while.

"Hmmm? Oh yeah. It's just- it's just that this place reminds me so much of Heartphilia manor is all."

Erza gave her a comforting smile back before walking to the rack of beautiful and rich dresses placed on the room's side wall and pulling out a gorgeous strapless ball gown. Crystals, large and small alike, were painstakingly stitched into the chiffon deep V neckline, falling all the way to her waist in a tasteful manner. The jeels took up only an inch and a half of space along the fabric's edge and gradually grew thinner as it traveled down the midsection, giving it a breathtaking sparkle without taking up the entire bodice. The gems gave way to a satin band, nearly an inch thick that pulled up into a slight caret which sported a star like crystal at the tip. The dress smoothed into a doubled over, silk like layered fabric that frayed out a bit more with each tier, creating a womanly bell shape. Lucy stared (removed an r) at the gown, admiring it beauty and was nearly caught off guard when Erza tossed her the dress.

"It suits you," she smiled, eliciting a warm and tender smile from the blonde in return.

'She really does know me too well,' Lucy thought satisfied as she pulled the garment up to her chest and gave a little twirl, imagining how wonderful it would be to wear it.

Erza, meanwhile skimmed through the vast assortment of gowns, finally pulling out a sexy full length gown. The fabric pulled in towards her right at the waist line meeting an extravagant golden butterfly clip before exposing no more than an inch's worth of bare flesh. The gown scooped up into an off the shoulder strap on the left where another golden butterfly was perched atop her shoulder, only this time it rested on a large, ruffled rose made of pekin silk.

Erza managed to change into her gown first, as it did not require a laced up bodice like Lucy's. The scarlet-haired mage twirled around for a minute, admiring her reflection in the mirror. The great Titania had discovered the collection of jewelry in the several thin boxes placed upon the table in the room, opting to wear a simple golden chain with a rose matching the flower upon her shoulder and golden tear-drop earrings. The outfit was finally completed with matching gloves for the gown that Erza couldn't help but covet because of their bare-skin like qualities.

Lucy had elected to wear a Swarovski crystal choker with a star nearly identical to one on her sash and simple diamond earrings the size of pennies. However, the ex-quip mage abandoned her vanity when she realized that Lucy having a bit of difficulty pulling the soft and glossy strings of her corset together. Without a word, she walked over to the blonde and finished the job, allowing Lucy to admire herself in the mirror. The blonde had forgone such frilly pleasures when she rejected her father's aspirations for her so many months ago but that did not mean that she didn't miss the sublime gowns every now and then. Lucy's admiration of her stunning appearance soon dwindled as she ran a hand threw her unkempt hair. It wasn't bad for going around town or a mission but it wouldn't do for a grandiose party.

"I am linked to the path to the world of Celestial Spirits, now! O spirit, answer my call and pass through the gate of the Crab! Cancer!"

"You called-ebi?" Cancer asked, appearing in a bright ball of golden light, his scissors sniping the air.

"Yes, I would like you to do mine and Erza's hair and make-up, if that is alright with you Erza," Lucy quickly interjected to her friend who gave her approval with a nod of her head. "And do you think that you could do it in ten minutes?" Lucy asked, looking at the grandfather clock mounted on the other side of room, informing her that the time allotted to them to get ready was nearly up.

"Sure thing-ebi" the crab like man replied, his scissors moving like a blur as they practically attacked her hair, styling here and cutting off split ends there. The blonde's hair was finally pulled back into a half up and half down do with soft waves that framed her waste before trailing down past her shoulders, making the flow of golden locks appear seamless. Her silvery eye-shadow complimented the crystals of her dress and her glossy pink lip stain made her lips dangerously kissable. Next up was Erza who had her hair put in long, sweeping curls that gave her face the soft appearance that her metal armor usually stole from her. Her eyelids shimmered in a golden hue that made the scarlet mage's dark brown orbs pop and sparkle under her long and thick black lashes that had been intensified from Cancer's expert usage of mascara. Lucy looked at her friend reverently but couldn't help the petty amount of envy bubbling up inside of her.

'I bet all the guys won't be able to take their eyes off of her," she thought forlornly, ignoring her own equally stunning appearance. 'I wonder what Gray and Happy will say?' her train of thought continued, imagining their jaws dropping at Erza's oddly feminine look. Her musings then turned to Natsu and what he would think. 'Who would he prefer more?' she thought, studying her image in the mirror between casting wistful glances towards Erza. 'He probably wouldn't even notice me,' she concluded, just before the blonde decided her thoughts were better put to use thinking up the various reasons as to why someone like Yuuhiko would steal a precious artifact from an old, albeit frightening, woman. 'And then why would he hold a celebration afterwards? None of it makes sense, unless Madame Elle is confused,' the blonde mused. But a knock on the door interrupted her wonderings.

"If you two young ladies are ready, I have returned with master Fullbuster and master Happy to escort you to main room where the celebration is being held," the familiar voice of the manservant announced.

"Yes, we'll be out in a minute," Lucy called out to the door, walking over to the assortment of high-heeled shoes aligned at the end of the wall. Picking out a clear, jewel encrusted slipper for herself, she found a pair of golden pumps that perfectly matched Erza's outfit. Apparently whoever had arranged this dressing room had gone to great lengths to ensure that every dress had its own personalized jewelry and footwear. Lucy tried not to dwell on the thought of the expertise planning of such an individual. After all, this room could also have been constructed and conceived for nobility that had come just as unprepared as she and her friends had arrived… Although a nagging voice tugged at the back of her mind, telling her just how improbable that situation seemed. Wealthy individuals rarely traveled without formal clothes to change into, even when such ornate garbs are not asked for or needed.

Regardless of her doubts, Lucy approached the door with Erza in tow. She could hear the men take a hushed gasp of air at her and Erza's radiant appearance and for a moment she felt completely satisfied with her transformation.

"Wow! You actually look really pretty Lucy, Erza!" Happy exclaimed, wearing a small black bowtie around his neck. Being the member of a different species, the feline had never been able to see the true beauty that Lucy, Erza, and many of the other human members of Fairy Tail possessed, but like how humans enjoy and comment upon the splendor of a loved canine or cat, now so could Happy when referring to the two stunning visions before him.

"As opposed to my normal, _ugly _self?" Lucy seethed, glaring up at the navy blue animal.

"Eeepp! Lucy's gotten all scary!" Happy cried, fleeing to the safety of Gray's back. However, the ice mage would have proven to be a poor shield if he had been tested. He was too dumbstruck by the women's transformation that he could little else but stare. Lucy was riveting, like a celestial angel dreamt up and magically springing to life. The blonde basked in the glow of her dress, its jewels shimmering like stars in the night sky. Erza was equally captivating if not more so to the raven-haired mage. She seemed so soft, so lovely, so radiant that Gray couldn't help but gawk at her rudely.

"You two will surely be the most magnificent and charming ladies at the ball tonight!" the manservant announced, voicing Gray's sentiments as well. Lucy felt a blush creep across her face, making her forget all about Happy's double-edged compliment.

"Oh! Were you able to find Natsu?" the blonde asked hopefully. She had to admit that Gray looked absolutely dashing in his black suit. It matched his hair perfectly, which she couldn't help but notice was slicked back slightly, either the result of the man servant or Gray's own attempt to freshen up a bit. Either way, it looked good on him and Lucy could see him being quite the lady killer tonight. However, no matter how debonair the ice mage's was, there was only one man who she wanted to see dressed up and she had hoped that he would have wanted to see her so formally dressed as well, but the dragon-slayer was still absent. After all who wouldn't want to see Natsu in a suit and dressed up?

"I'm sorry, but we are still looking for your other friend. It would seem as if he has wandered off in a direction of the mansion that most people don't tend to go as we have already checked all of the most common locations for lost people to appear."

Lucy let out a sigh. 'So much for her wish' she thought grimly.

"Please do not despair. We will find your companion soon! I swear on my honor!" the manservant protested, mistaking her sigh for worry rather than disappointment.

"Yes, I place my entire confidence in your worthy hands," she replied, and couldn't help but think that she had overdone it when watery tears broached the elderly man's eyes.

"I will not fail you young miss! He will be found," he cried, blowing his nose into a hanky kept in his coat pocket. He took a moment to compose himself before he gave a sweeping hand gesture to the hallway in front of him and said, "The ballroom is right this way. Please follow me."

The group obliged, following the man down long corridors and various passage ways. Lucy finally understood just what the man had meant when he said a person unfamiliar with the mansion could get lost for quite a long time.

'Natsu, just what are you doing?' she thought quietly to herself, as if someone would breach into her thoughts and learn just who she was thinking about and agree with the nagging suspicion in the back of her mind of which she she refused to acknowledge that fully explained to her why he crossed her mind so often as of late.

* * *

><p>Natsu stopped just as he was about to pass under the second floor bridge and sniffed the air, catching the familiar baked apple scent in his nostrils.<p>

'Lucy?' he thought, sparing a glance to the blonde walking ahead of him. But no, this smell wasn't coming from the real Lucy, _his_ Lucy. It was much fainter and a bit more stale. The dragon-slayer paused, inhaling large quantities of air to try to sort out the source of the aroma. This time he clearly caught on to the opposing scent and with a quick glance shot back at the retreating outlines of his nakama, he followed his nose upstairs to the second floor and down the right hallway.

The dragon-slayer ran down the corridors and climbed the few odd staircase every now and then, a sense of purpose igniting deep within in his bones as he followed the blonde's scent. He didn't try and preoccupy his mind with thinking up what might be causing the familiar odor but instead tried to ready himself for whatever he found. There was something so very odd about this whole affair and an uneasiness flitted throughout his entire body.

Finally, the blonde's aroma led him to a large set of double wooden doors. Without a moment's hesitation Natsu kicked open oak frames, Lucy's scent even stronger now that he opened the doors than it had been before. He slowly browsed through the dirty and disheveled room, his eyes falling on garments and knick knacks that captured the blonde's pleasant aroma.

'What the hell is all of this? Do all of these things belong to Lucy?' he thought, accidently kicking a small object to the side. Natsu glanced down at the silver embossed brush and picked it up. The object reeked of not only Lucy but of great wealth.

'I wonder if all of this belonged to Lucy before she ran away,' the dragon-slayer pondered, coming across the correct answer by some miracle. Natsu placed the brush down on a cluttered table, a few strands of blonde hair still caught in its bristles. Just as he was about to turn his head away, his sight fell upon a familiar face. Only it was admittedly younger than the one he had grown fond of. Ambling over silk dresses, crumpled papers and stacks of books, the dragon-slayer made his way to the other side of the desk, completely engrossed in the small headshot of ten year old Lucy. Her hair was a bit shorter and had been professionally styled into two curled pigtails tied up with ribbons. Natsu ran a thumb over the photograph, slightly shifting it to left revealing more pictures behind it. The pink-hair mage picked up the stack of photos and flipped through each one. The blonde appeared to be getting older in each new headshot and Natsu couldn't help but notice her smile falter with each and every passing year.

'Luce,' he thought bitterly to himself as he allowed his hands to erupt into flames, scorching the images and turning them into ash. He knew that she disliked her previous life as a respectable lady in the upper echelons of society but to see the hurt in her eyes and the weak smiles she wore was too much for him. Those Lucy's were nothing like the energetic, fun and loving Lucy that he knew and he never wanted to see her look like she did in those pictures again.

"Those photos were private property. My master won't be very pleased when he learns what you've done," a voice spoke out, directing Natsu attention to the burly man standing in the doorway. He was dressed in a black suit and tie, just like the man servant, except on this man the outfit seemed out of place and bunched up grotesquely around his large muscles.

'Perhaps a gorilla suit would look better?' Natsu thought briefly before forcing the notion away. Besides, apes were usually quite humorous creatures while this man appeared to be unable of expressing even the simplest of emotions.

"Yeah well, I'm sure Lucy wouldn't mind me torching those pieces of garbage or his whole room for that matter!" Natsu exclaimed, his fists alighting with fire once more. "And what is with this place anyway? Some creepy Lucy hall-of-fame?"

"I only answer to my master. Now, I ask that you please keep your screams to minimum; there is a party going on downstairs to celebrate the engagement of Mrs. Lucy Heartphilia to master Yuuhiko and I am under strict orders not to disturb the guests."

"Engagement? Like hell Lucy would ever agree to marry such a creepy guy that has his own shrine built to her!" Natsu shot back, already lunging towards the man. The dragon-slayer threw his fist forward towards his opponents head but before he could he even see the man raise a finger he was sent careening into a portrait of his blonde nakama that was to his left. He fell through the canvas, destroying the two dimensional hem of Lucy's dress while various personal items belonging of Lucy's followed after him and pinned the dragon-slayer beneath them.

"Situation contained," Natsu's attacker said blandly, turning on his heel to leave the room until a slight shuffling sound caught his ear. He cocked his head back to the painting and the pile of objects that had encased the Fairy Tail mage realizing that the boy was standing back up, a ferocious glint in his eye. "Hmmph," the man huffed, standing tall and readying himself to face the dragon-slayer.

"FIRE DRAGON'S ROAR!" Natsu screamed, pulling up a fist to his mouth and directing a large stream of out of the small opening. The man servant moved far faster than one would think his body was capable of and dodged the attack, nearly disappearing into thin air as he did so. Natsu's head spun around looking for where the man would appear next. The dragon-slayer found his target standing just off to his left, not a single trace of emotion passing through his face.

"FIRE DRAGON'S ROAR!" Natsu yelled again, blowing another pillar of flames at the man who, like before, dodged the attack with ease. This go between of Natsu attacking and the servant dodging continued for a few minutes until the burly man spoke up.

"Why do you insist on using the same attack? You clearly cannot hit me with it."

"Whoever said I was aiming for you?" Natsu smirked, the flames that now coated the walls, floor and ceiling of the room, casting bright yellow and orange hues upon his face. The servant's eyes widen in surprised as he realized what had been the pink-haired mages true goal.

"You mean you had meant to burn down this room instead?" he asked, flabbergasted.

"Uh-huh. I told you before that Lucy wouldn't like all of this stuff," Natsu answered, "But now that I'm done taking care of this garbage, I can focus all of my energy on _you_!"

Natsu sucked in a deep breath, "FIRE DRAGON'S IRON FIST!"

* * *

><p>The Fairy Tail foursome could hear the echoing of classical music arrangements as they continued to follow the servant. The party seemed to be in full swing and even rings of laughter were discernible now.<p>

"Ah, here we are!" their guide exclaimed, stopping just before the well-lit entrance. Lucy could see that the servant intended to give them a proper introduction as he had led them to the balcony that followed out into the ballroom. It was the kind of entrance reserved for esteemed and privileged as it meant that the entire rooms attention would be diverted to whomever stood atop the lofty platform. Certainly party-crashing mages from Fairy Tail did not deserve such formal treatment but before she could protest she heard the resounding boom of the doorman's staff hitting the marble ground before he called out:

"Introducing Mr. Gray Fullbuster of Fairy Tail!"

"That's your cue," the servant whispered, pushing Gray out onto the light balcony. The ice mage stumbled after have being push out into the opening but soon regained his balance only to freeze up awkwardly once he noticed the hundred pairs of eyes on him. Erza let out a soft sigh and whispered something into the doorman's ear.

"And now introducing his date, Ms. Erza Scarlet mage of Fairy Tail!"

"D-DATE?" Lucy repeated, unsure if the doorman had announced her best friend's arrival correctly. But Erza didn't seem to be upset at all. The scarlet-haired mage stepped out into the light gracefully and took Gray's arms in hers. He seemed to have been just as shocked as Lucy was from the announcement but thankfully had the sense not to scream out his dismay. Erza gave him a wink, helping the ice mage to slip back into his cool and collected personality. He gave her a small smirk and escorted her down the steps until they reached the bottom.

Lucy shook in her beautiful gown and high heeled shoes. Sure she had done this many a time before but she was always nervous then too. The blonde would imagine herself being introduced to the crowd below, only to fall on her face down the stairs or come traipsing down with toilet paper stuck to her shoe or even an unsightly booger hanging down from her nostrils. Not only would she embarrass herself in front of hundreds of people, but any slip up like that would have enraged her father. He would have called her a disgrace and told her how she brought shame to the Heartphilia name.

'Breathe Lucy. Your father isn't here and there is no name to ruin anymore. Besides, you've given up your right to be Lucy Heartphilia, former heiress of the Heartphilia Rail Conglomerate; you are now just Lucy. Lucy of Fairy Tail,' she reasoned, taking a shaky step forward only to be scared back by the bellowing cry of the doorman.

"Announcing Mr. Happy of Fairy Tail!"

"Eh?" Lucy said, mouth agape. She had forgotten all about Happy…again! She could feel a tired laugh trickle up her throat as she tried to calm her racing heart. She watched Happy float down the stairs, the blue cat looking completely out of place in the regal setting. Her head turned towards the doorman and then to the servant that had escorted them up to this point, knowing that _now_ she was the last of them up here and _now_ would be her turn to be introduced.

"Don't worry, you'll do fine!" the servant winked at her, giving her a slight nudge towards the door. It was nothing like the forceful push he gave Gray but rather an encouraging gesture that helped her take the step forward that she needed to.

"Finally, now presenting Ms. Lucy Heartphilia, mage of Fairy Tail!"

Lucy could hear a few gasps and shushed murmurs. Some, she hoped, was because of how beautiful she looked in this gown but a sinking feeling told her that the people below were probably just more shocked to see her there now that her father had gone bankrupt and had lost all of his riches. Slowly, she made her way down the semi-spiraled stairs, forcing a dignified and noble smile as she trained her eyes to settle on her friends that waited for her down below. Looking around into the astounded faces of the people she once knew would only upset her already rapidly beating heart even more.

"That was amazing Lucy! You just looked a princess right now!" Happy exclaimed floating up to her. Lucy giggled at his exuberance and could feel her anxiety begin to lift.

"Your friend is right you know. All of my guests belonging to the lesser sex were completely enchanted by your arrival and I'm sure that their dates couldn't help but feel envious that the position for the most bewitching woman in this room was so easily snatched up," a young blonde man spoke up, taking Lucy's hand and bowing down to give it a soft kiss. Lucy could feel her cheeks flush at the contact of his soft, feather like lips on her hand. "Of course, your companion here is a close second," he said, smiling up at Erza.

The ex-quip mage returned the gesture before asking, "I'm sorry but I did not catch your name."

"Oh, how rude of me. Please forgive me but I am not in the habit of introducing myself, particularly when I am in my own home."

"Then that means-" Lucy had begun to say before being cut off.

"Yes, I am Yuuhiko Tashimoto."

* * *

><p><strong>I hope everyone is enjoying this chapter so far! The last part will hopefully come out tomorrow. And please comment if you like it or hate it! <strong>


	5. Chapter 3: Part 3: It's About Time

**Hehe, so who likes this Part's title? I found it appropriate in the sense that this is probably what you guys are thinking and because this part as well as this story is really, all about time. **

**Ah! Someone solved it! And they didn't even seem to go through the steps! Oh well, I'll keep the question the same only for this chapter though because some of you are close and I would feel bad if I didn't give them the chance to finish. So, if you want to solve it either do it now or forever hold your piece. :)**

**However, that being said Nemishiwa got it right! So this chapter is for you, you lucky/extremely smart dog!**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 3: Part 3: It's About Time<strong>

"That makes things a lot easier," Gray smirked, leaning up against the side of the stairwell.

"Excuse me?"

"You see, Mr. Tashimoto, we are actually here because of a mission we are on-"

"You mean you didn't receive my invitation?" Yuuhiko asked, staring intently into Lucy's eyes.

"N-No. I mean, maybe. I haven't been home for a day now so it might have arrived while I was out," Lucy answered, taken aback by his slightly abrasive attitude.

"As I was saying," Erza interrupted, forcefully pulling his attention off of Lucy and back onto her, "we are here because of a mission. It would seem that you are being accused of stealing a staff of some sort from an old witch known as Madame Elle a few days ago. Care to explain?"

Yuuhiko smiled back at her, "Tut, tut now. I'll tell you all about my activities for the past few days later when the night is coming to a close but all this serious talk so early on, it would only put a damper to the whole evening. I encourage you all to help yourself to some hors d'oeuvres and whatever else your heart desires."

Erza was about to protest but found her words caught in her throat when the young man turned to Lucy and asked her a question.

"Lucy, you shine like the very stars themselves tonight. Would you give me the honor of a dance?"

"U-Uh, yeah. I-I mean yes!" Lucy stammered, fumbling with her words.

"Wonderful!" Yuuhiko smiled brightly back up at her and whisked her off through the crowd of colorfully dressed women and men to the dance floor.

"Tch. That guy is pretty full of himself," Gray sneered. Erza nodded, her eyes still following the two blondes even as they reached the dance floor. The scarlet mage eyed the man with suspicion as he stepped away from Lucy and bowed, extending his hand for her to take which she eventually did after a moment's hesitation. Erza couldn't help but admit that the man didn't seem like a dangerous or thieving person but appearances could be deceiving and she did not feel comfortable being so far away from Lucy if she ended up needing their help. The ex-quip mage shot a glance towards Gray as he swirled the golden, bubbling liquid around in the glass that he had just been given by a servant.

"Come with me," she instructed, pulling him towards the dance floor.

"H-Hey!" he protested, his drink still in his hands.

"Have fun you two!" Happy called out merrily to them, before floating off in the direction of the buffet table in the hopes of finding fish. Gray hardly had the time to realize what was happening when he found himself on the stage.

"Why did you take the glass with you?"

"Huh? What- I mean, I don't know, you just grabbed me and-"

"Well, you need to get rid of it. You can't dance with me with that in your hand."

"D-Dance?" Gray stammered. "But I thought that whole 'date' thing was just something you told that guy to say!" the ice mage continued, feeling his pulse quicken and his cheeks tint with a pink pigment.

"It was," Erza replied coolly, "I just don't like the idea of being so far away from Lucy when she's with that guy." Gray could feel an odd sensation of something akin to disappointment. She could have at least been a little less blunt about it all and spared his ego some pain. "If you don't want to dance I could ask someone else." And like as if on cue, a gentleman with emerald hair approached the two. He bowed low, not a single strand of his emerald hair falling out of place despite the movement.

"Excuse me miss, but I couldn't help but be entranced by your beauty. Would you give me the pleasure of dance so that I may die happy?"

'Well isn't he laying it on a bit thick?' Gray thought scornfully to himself. He waited for what he thought would be the inevitable- Erza's swift and unflattering rejection- but nothing came. He glanced down at her to realize that she was actually considering the proposal. 'Do you really want to keep track of Yuuhiko and Lucy that bad that you would dance with a sleaze ball!'

Erza opened her mouth to respond but neither Gray nor the man would ever know her answer because at that precise moment Gray shoved his flute of champagne into another guests hand and said;

"I'm sorry, but she already has a dance partner for this evening. Beat it, big nose."

The man looked rather astonished by the ice mage's uncouth remark but had no time to come up with a retort of his own as Gray had already dragged Erza out onto the stage. He placed a steady and cool hand on her waist and took her free hand in his. She slung a hand on his shoulder and the two began to step in time to the music.

"You're better at this than I thought you'd be," Erza smiled up at him.

"Hmph. What did you think was going to happen when you pulled me out here in the first place? That I would trip and fall on my face in front of everybody?"

Erza turned her head to the side and began to whistle some unknown tune.

"Hey! You _did_ think that was going to happen!" Gray exclaimed.

* * *

><p>"It seems that those two are getting along well," Lucy giggled, taking note of Erza and Gray dancing gracefully off to her right.<p>

"Yes, I hope that you are enjoying yourself as well."

"O-Of course I am," she smiled back, trying to focus on the dance and not him. He was just so close, even for a dance partner and if that weren't enough Lucy could hardly remember the instructions her dancing coach had tried to drill into her head with his lessons.

'Damn it,' Lucy swore under her breath as she missed a step and instinctively glanced up at her dance partner. The blonde could feel the persistent blush on her cheeks intensify. She was still very inexperienced when it came to the other sex and being here with such a charming and handsome man was more than enough to get her flustered. Lucy peered into his gray eyes and couldn't imagine just how Yuuhiko could be a criminal in any way, shape or form. But, unfortunately for Lucy, she did not know that it is easiest to oversee the darkness in a person's heart and mind when standing very close.

Yuuhiko twirled and dipped Lucy a few times, eliciting laughs and grins from the blonde that were returned with warm, yet odd smiles. Lucy couldn't quite place just what was off with the expression though and chose to ignore the nagging feeling of discomfort. And besides, she felt a little dizzy from all the spinning anyway and she could just be imagining things at this point. Yuuhiko seemed to realize the latter detail and gracefully led her to the edge of the dance floor before she even realized it. She glanced up at him, mildly surprised that he had caught that she needed a break.

"You seemed to getting a bit warm, my princess," he smiled. Lucy gave him a gracious nod as he escorted her over to a table of littered with the finest food and drink and handed her a crystal glass. The Celestial mage eyed the content, trying to peg just what the clear and odorless liquid was, but was pulled from speculative thoughts when she heard Yuuhiko's laughter.

"It's just water," he chuckled, having guessed her hesitation. Lucy could feel her cheeks flare up from embarrassment and gratefully took a few long sips of the crisp, cool liquid. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed a man approaching them. From his stern expression and impeccable posture Lucy correctly figured him to be an employee.

"Sir, there is little more than ten minutes til midnight," he announced in low voice that Lucy could barely discern.

"Excellent. Everything is prepared accordingly I presume?" Yuuhiko asked.

"Yes. All is as you instructed it to be,"

"Good," the young Tashimoto said before turning to face Lucy, "I'm sorry, but being the host of this event I am obligated to perform certain duties such as addressing my guests properly. However, I would very much like you to join me."

"Join you? But this is your party. I think that it would be terribly out of place for me to be with you when you were addressing everybody here," Lucy answered, shocked that he had even suggested the notion. It was certainly far from the typical behavior of a host to invite a guest to go up on their platform with them to announce something.

"Please, I insist. Also, I fear that when I leave you, the other men at this party may come calling for you."

Lucy looked around and noticed for the first time what appeared to be hungry eyes staring at her. She felt a shiver creepy up her spine as the vast expanse of beady eyes leered at her.

'Perhaps this V-neck is just a little bit too low,' she laughed tiredly to herself.

"Well, if you insist," she submitted, feeling much safer with him than by herself.

"Perfect!" he beamed, bending his arm for her to hook her own arm through. They followed his servant through the crowd who helped to clear a path for them. Lucy found the scene rather amusing, it was like the servant was a mage himself and was pushing the people aside only for them to swarm back once they passed by. Finally the trio reached a raised platform with two regal chairs.

'Most likely reserved for the Tashimoto family heads," Lucy thought before wondering where they might be if they weren't enjoying the party. A loud tap reverberating across the room forced her attention back onto Yuuhiko and slowly all of the eyes within the room fell upon him.

"Thank you all for coming here and spending the past few days here. I hope that you have all enjoyed your time here just as much as I have enjoyed your company. Today, for these sparse few minutes before we cross over into the morrow, I would like to announce some rather unsettling news. As you all know, my mother died years ago but now I am afraid to admit that my father, Tamaki Tashimoto, has chased after her spirit and passed away in his sleep a few nights ago."

A muted roar took over the group as they whispered in hushed tones about their shock and surprise to whoever was next to them. Others pitied the young Tashimoto and others still wondered what this meant for the future of the Tashimoto corporation.

"Now, now, I would like to assure you that, as the new head of the Tashimoto conglomerate, I will steer the company into a bright new future. But for now, let us leave such talk aside and mourn our loss in silence," Yuuhiko said, bowing down his head as if in silent prayer. His guests followed suit, as did Lucy who had taken a mental note that she was in a very public location and would be looked at poorly by the crowd if she did not show some physical sign of grieving, even if she had never met the man in question or was close enough to any of his relatives to the point where she could truly feel sorrow for his bereavement. Erza, Gray, and Happy had no such issue however and opted instead to keep a watch over their friend and her potentially unsavory date.

After only a few minutes however, a large clock that hung upon the wall chimed, interrupting the impromptu vigil. It rang once, twice, thrice and finally quieted after twelve rings. Yuuhiko looked up when it had finished, a smile on his face. It was the same unsettling smile he had flashed her a few times while dancing only this time it was more pronounced. There was something definitely off about him when his lips twisted up into that dreadful expression.

"And now, at the start of this brand new day, I wish to put the past behind me and start my life anew. For this reason, I officially announce my engagement to my one true love, Lucy Heartphilia!"

"EH!" Lucy gasped, not knowing that her friends had done the exact same thing. But both cries were drowned out over the thundering roar of applause from the crowd. Meanwhile, Lucy could feel herself slip thousands of miles away into the recesses of her own head. A million thoughts ran through the blonde's mind but she took the time to scold herself for making such a stupid outburst.

'Really, you could have said, 'Me?' or 'Surely you jest!' but no, you said 'Eh!' What the hell kind of response is that! Wait! This isn't what I should be focused on right now!' She cried inwardly, only just returning to reality and realizing that she was being led down the step of the stage.

"Y-Yuuhiko," she gasped out, stopping and wriggling her wrist out of his grasp.

"Yes darling?" the blonde male smiled back at her, as if abruptly announcing their engagement to a large crowd had been nothing of consequence.

"What you said back there, you can't be serious."

"Why of course I am. We are betrothed, didn't you know?"

"Be-WHAT?"

"It means that-"

"No! I know what it means! But I don't have any fiancé or anything!"

"I suppose that my father had been telling the truth when he said that you were never told of the engagement," Yuuhiko sighed.

"LUCY!" three voices called out in unison. The blonde turned her head to see her friends rushing towards her, worry marring their features.

"How could you do this to Natsu?" the blue cat wailed.

"Is that all you can think of?" Lucy snapped.

"Hey! What the hell is this crap about you getting married?" Gray demanded.

"I don't know!" she shouted back, her previous irritation being replaced by the panic that was finally settling in.

"Let me explain a little," Yuuhiko spoke up.

"Please do," Erza said coolly, the temperature around the group dropping slightly from her glare.

"Ehem," Yuuhiko coughed trying to ease the tension but to no avail, "Lucy's father and my father agreed to our marriage when we were only ten. She has been promised to me and I do not intend on letting anyone or anything stand in the way of that promise."

"B-But wait. None of this makes sense! My father called me back once before to marry me off to that Prince Sawalu, so how could I have been promised to you since I was ten?"

"Your father," Yuuhiko chuckled eerily, letting his head hang down as he spoke, "tried to break off our espousal when that noble bastard expressed his interest in you. That man had vicious ambitions and, when a person with not only money but a title arose, he tossed our engagement aside."

Lucy could see the bitterness he felt for the whole affair burning in his eyes and it scared her. She took a step back but froze instantly when he cocked his head toward her. The blonde wasn't sure whether it was because of the step she had taken or if he simply wanted to convey the next part of what he said directly to her.

"But your father lost everything when you refused the marriage. At the time, I thought it was because you knew of me, of our proposal, but now I see that I was wrong and I couldn't be happier."

"W-What? Shouldn't that kind of thing make you upset?" Gray asked.

"Quite the contrary, my darling Lucy here rejected her engagement without knowing a thing about me. She rejected the marriage proposal of a prince proving that they were not meant to be and _we_ are," Yuuhiko said, gesturing wildly to Lucy and himself.

"I rejected the prince because I didn't want to get married to such a disgusting boy nor was I or am I ready to leave behind my life Fairy Tail! I'm sorry but I will not marry you!" Lucy announced bravely. Yuuhiko couldn't hide his dismay at her statement and perhaps in the first time in his life was speechless. But soon words returned to him and they fumbled out in an angry rush.

"H-How can you say something like that? We're meant to be together! Lucy Heartphilia, you were promised to me when I was only ten!" Yuuhiko yelled. His scream was loud enough make the nearby party goers stop what they were doing and turn their attention to the exchange. Slowly, the crowd began to grow.

"No! We're not! I gave up my rights to that name long ago! I am not Lucy Heartphilia, I'm just Lucy, mage of Fairy Tail!"

"Well said," Erza complimented, giving the blonde an approving nod.

Lucy gave a brief smile back but was taken by surprise when Yuuhiko looked up at her, an evil and crazed glint in his gray eyes.

"This is a joke right? You can't possible mean it! Not after all that I've done for you!" Yuuhiko uttered in a low and nearly inaudible voice that would have been impossible to hear if the room had not fallen into such overwhelming silence.

"This isn't a joke. I meant every word that I just said," Lucy answered, feeling her strength begin to leave her at his now furious glare.

"Do you even know what I've done for you!" He yelled. "Do you know?" he repeated, his voice now certainly catching everyone's attention.

Lucy took another step back, trying to free herself from his intimidating aura.

"I did everything for you! I killed my father so that we could be together. I sacrificed one of my strongest servants just so I could be with _you_!"

"Y-You killed your father," she whispered but the room had grown so quiet she might as well have shouted it.

Yuuhiko chuckled. "Yes, I did," he turned around to face the audience, his face contorted with madness. "That's right everybody! I killed my father! I killed him so that I could be with Lucy here so why do you think that she keeps on rejecting me?"

There was silence.

"Oh, I see, no one wants to answer that. Nobody wants to even try to guess? Well, I have one," Yuuhiko said, turning back to Lucy, "I think that it's because you want to see me mad. Is that it Lucy? Do you like it when I'm upset like this? WELL? DO YOU?"

Lucy just watched him silent horror, too shocked and scared to think about what she should do. Before anyone could react to the enraged man's recent outburst, a loud boom could be heard from the room directly above them. The entire room glanced upwards as if by looking up they would be able to see through the mortar and plaster to see what was going on above. And like magic the ceiling began to crack, little fissures of lines no thicker than a hair expanding for a few good feet. The chandelier swung perilously over the group and tiny bits of the roof sprinkled down to the ground below. Finally, with a sonorous crash, the ceiling gave way and fell to the ground below, a large black object falling directly after it. The guests scrambled out of the way just in time to avoid the crumbling hunk of ceiling and the black clad mass. Screams and panics over took the lot as they ran to the few exits, until soon the only ones left in the room were Lucy, Yuuhiko, Erza, Gray, Happy, and the burly man that had fallen through the roof.

"Ugh," he moaned, getting up and rubbing his head.

'How can any human being be alive after something like that?' Lucy thought horrified.

"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU MEAN BY ALL OF THIS, GORO!" Yuuhiko screamed, his anger only intensifying.

"I apologize master- Argh!" he cut himself, grunting as he jumped out of the way of a large portrait falling down the hole after him.

"HAAHHHHH!" a familiar yelled followed after it until Lucy saw the sight she had wanted to see more than anything else that day. His feet were ablaze when he landed and the air in the room became dry and stale as the heat radiating off his body sucked out all of the moisture.

"Natsu!" she exclaimed happily.

"Hey Luce!" he grinned back at her, his flames dying down. "What's going on here? Is this where the party is supposed to be? It doesn't seem like much fun, there's no one here," he commented dryly, looking around.

"Never mind that, why did you come crashing to the ceiling?"

"Lucy, look it's you!" Happy interrupted before Natsu could answer. The feline hovered above the damaged but still decipherable painting.

"Oh my God, that _is_ me! What the hell is it doing here?" She exclaimed, completely unnerved.

"That's a silly question. I bought it. It is one of my possessions, just like you," Yuuhiko spoke up, the servant known as Goro by his side.

"Why? How?"

"Because I love you of course! I came into possession of that masterpiece a few days ago when I bought it back from a rather unsavory man who had taken it upon himself to hang the picture in his own filthy house. I couldn't bear to share you with another man even if it was only a picture," Yuuhiko answered.

"Who the hell is this guy!" Natsu growled.

"This is Yuuhiko Tashimoto, the same guy who is accused of stealing from Madame Elle. And he is apparently Lucy's betrothed," Erza said flatly, preparing for battle. She took a brief overview of the battle ground. It was large and spacious, definitely leaning in their favor with all of their destructive natures. There were few places to exit or enter from so ambushes, as well as having Yuuhiko sneak away, seemed unlikely. All in all, Erza liked their odds.

"I said I didn't except his freakin' proposal! How can anyone take that engagement crap seriously when I didn't even know about it until right now!"

"Y-You're engaged!" Natsu repeated. It was apparent that those were the only words he had heard her say.

"N-No!" Lucy stammered, not sure why she hadn't wanted Natsu to know that bit of information. It wasn't like he'd be hurt or upset by it since they were only friends.

"It hurts me that you deny me like this, Lucy darling."

"Don't call her that!" Natsu roared, his eyes alive with fiery fury. But Yuuhiko ignored him and smirked.

"But I suppose it is of no matter really. I had wanted things to go smoothly between us and not have to resort to such tactics, but I will not lose! Hikaru! Get me the staff!" Yuuhiko hissed the last part into a radio transceiver that had been hidden in his jacket pocket. "And send Kankoro here right away!"

"I don't know whether you're gonna lose or not but you sure as hell ain't gonna win!" Gray yelled, forming his weapon of choice, a lance made out of ice.

"Ice Make: Lance!"

And with that the battle started. The lance was aimed straight towards Yuuhiko, who was carried to safety by his servant. Just as the blonde man was set down, Erza charged at the pair, opting to go after Goro as he looked to pose more of a threat.

"Hee-ahh!" she yelled swinging her mighty sword toward his chest.

He barely managed to dodge the redhead's attack, his suit tearing from his split second delay. His brows knitted in umbrage at his defiled jacket.

"The money for our uniforms is taken out of our pay. It was bad enough that I got soot and ash on it," he snarled gruffly, taking out a small curved blade from his breast pocket. A small hook at the top of the hilt attached a long metal chain with a ball at the end. Erza eyed the piece, taking in its deadly design. The weapon was not only good for short range attacks but long range defensive ones too.

"That's quite the weapon. But it doesn't seem to be the one that we're looking for," she commented dryly, the air growing tense with the anticipation of battle.

"You would be wise not to underestimate it," he grunted, picking up the chain with his free hand and swinging it around his head. With a final heave he released the chain, letting it fly towards Erza. The scarlet mage threw up her sword to block the attack, her blade becoming entangled in the chain. She pulled on her sword, her eyes focusing on the trapped weapon in her hand for only a second. Although she had only been distracted for a brief moment Goro had managed to clear most of the distance between them, the blade gleaming in his right hand and poised to run through her. Luckily, in that split second leading up to the charge, Erza noted that the chain had gone slightly slack and realized what must have been happening. She jumped backwards and forced her sword swing low and just barely intercepted the blade. Goro stared at her with hard eyes and cold expression, "I would be wise to not underestimate you either I see."

Meanwhile, the others were fighting a battle of their own.

"Three against one, now that's hardly fair," Yuuhiko smirked.

"Four," Natsu corrected.

Yuuhiko cocked a brow but caught sight of the serious blue cat hovering above Lucy.

"Ah, I stand corrected, four."

"Prepare to eat fire asshole!" Natsu yelled as he rushed the man, his fists bursting into thick balls of burning flames that licked the air around them. Yuuhiko dodged the blow but slipped on the sheet of ice Gray had coated the floor with. He slid on the ground until he fell into a deep hole that Lucy's spirit Virgo had made.

"Good job Virgo!" Lucy told the masochist maid happily.

"Would you like to punish me princess?"

"N-No Virgo, you can go back now," Lucy sighed.

"As you wish princess," the spirit answered before disappearing in a golden light.

"Well that was easy," Gray smirked, peering down into the hole.

"Gray!" Happy cried just before a grotesquely large fist hit him square in the jar and sent the ice mage flying.

"Bastard!" Natsu growled launching himself to their newest enemy only to be knocked back and into Gray, who had just risen to his feet.

"Watch you're going, Asshole!" Gray yelled, pushing Natsu off of him.

"I didn't do it on purpose, Freezer Fuck! That guy used some kind of weird magic."

"Hey, are you two alright?" Lucy asked, trying her best to run in her gown.

"Yeah, we're fine. But more importantly watch out for that guy, he uses really strange magic," Natsu answered, glaring at the man as he helped Yuuhiko out of the hole.

"What took you so long idiot!" Yuuhiko hissed.

"I'm sorry master Tashimoto."

"Hmph, I will think of a suitable punishment for you later. For now, just take them out, but if you lay one finger on Lucy I swear I will find a punishment that will have you begging for death!" he threatened.

"Yes, master," Kankoro answered solemnly.

'Geez, he's just as expressionless as that other guy,' Natsu thought bitterly. The large man, nearly identical to the servant Erza was fighting, began to walk towards them. Lucy glared at him along with her friends but only she noticed that his hands were clasped around seemingly nothing.

"Ah! That's it!" she exclaimed, causing the other two boys to turn towards her.

"What is it?" they asked in confused unison.

"That wasn't magic that he used, but rather a magic item!"

"Hah?" Natsu questioned, not quite sure what she implying.

"He has an _invisible_ weapon," Lucy explained. "I don't think it's a sword or axe or anything like that or you would have been sliced in half."

Natsu gulped at the latter comment, considering what might have happened to him if the weapon had been a bladed armament. The dragon-slayer didn't have much time to ruminate on the subject as the man now shifted his hands and prepared to attack with whatever object he was yielding.

"Look out!" Gray yelled, dodging to his left but was struck by the unknown weapon nonetheless.

'Damn, it's hard fighting something that you can't see!' the ice mage thought miserably. Gray turned his head to see if Natsu and Lucy had managed to dodge the attack. Natsu had been hit and his legs jutted out from a pile of rubble. Lucy had fared better, haven been saved by Happy and was now floating above the battlefield.

"I am linked to the path to the world of Celestial Spirits, now! O spirit, answer my call and pass through the gate Ta-"

"Wait!" Gray shouted, halting Lucy's summoning.

"Huh?"

"Go save Natsu and then take your fiancé out!"

"He's not my fiancé!" she shrieked back before letting the rest of sink in. She glanced nervously between him and the servant, Gray's determined glare catching her eye.

"Fine, just make sure you beat him up real good for me!" she winked, letting Happy fly her over to wear Natsu was.

"That wasn't wise sending your friends off like that. Particularly her, since my master has forbade me to touch her," the thick-set man said.

"Tch, I'm more than capable of taking care of you," Gray smirked, bringing his fist to his palm. "Ice Make: Hammer!"

"Natsu! Are you ok?" Lucy fretted worriedly as she pushed aside the rocks that entombed the fire mage.

"I'm gonna burn that guy to a crisp!" Natsu stated angrily, using his own strength to cast off the remaining pieces of rubble that kept him pinned down.

"No, let Gray handle him. We'll take care of Yuuhiko," Lucy told him, looking away from him and searching the room for the blonde man.

"Aye!" Happy seconded, floating around Natsu's shoulder.

"Where'd he go?" Lucy asked, unable to seek him out anywhere in the room.

"I don't know but if that bastard thinks that he can hide from a dragon-slayer's sense of smell, he has another thing coming," Natsu bit out irritably. Natsu immediately began to run towards a hallway on the other end of the ballroom. Lucy and Happy followed close behind, leaving Erza and Gray to their own devices and trusting in Natsu's incredible nose.

* * *

><p>"Incompetent fools!" the blonde man cursed as he stalked down the hallways. "Hikaru, just where are you <em>now<em>?"

"I'm coming down the lower hall in the west wing right now young master."

"Well hurry up!" Yuuhiko answered into the crackling transmitter.

"There you are, you bastard!" a voice called out from behind him, making him stop in his tracks.

"Oh, so it would seem that you've followed me. Have you come to reconsider my proposal Lucy?"

"Like hell that's why we're here," Natsu growled, sparks igniting under his feet and his hands morphing into blazing fireballs. A few stray flames flickered their way across the rugs and up the walls. The entire room was beginning to catch fire but Yuuhiko didn't seem perturbed at all.

"Stop it Natsu! There's no water here so it's not like I can call out Aquarius and ask her to put this out!" Lucy yelled. She was beginning to sweat from the heat.

"Ah, it's smoky up here," Happy coughed, floating down to the ground.

"M-Master?" a trepid voice called out. All four of the people turned around to face the voice's owner, a scared and aged servant who was fighting back coughs with a rag from the dark plume of smoke. "What's going on here? Ah! A fire! I'll go grab the-"

"Shut up! I don't care about any of that, just give me the spear!" Yuuhiko demanded.

"B-But sir, these paintings date back to-"

"I _swear_ that if you don't hand me that thing I will ship you and your entire family to Haron to mine lacryma until your entire miserable blood line dies out!"

The servant shook under the weight of the threat and with shaking hands gave up the spear.

Lucy let out a gasp as she remembered the description of the rod stolen from Madame Elle's. "Natsu! That's the spear that Madame Elle was talking about!" Lucy hissed.

"So he did steal it," Natsu growled.

"HAHAHAHAHA!" Yuuhiko laughed evilly once the spear was securely in his hands.

"So what?" Natsu snorted defiantly. "You got a spear, who cares?"

"You'll know soon enough." He answered, removing a vial of red liquid also from his jacket pocket.

"I-Is that blood?" Lucy whispered terrified.

"Young master, I really think that we should try to stop the fire or-"

"If you are afraid then consider yourself dismissed, permanently!" Yuuhiko yelled, ramming the spear's butt end into the side of the man's head and knocking him to the ground.

"OH MY GOD!" Lucy screamed in horror.

"Ah!" Happy exclaimed, terrified.

"You bastard!" Natsu snarled. Yuuhiko looked up at them and smiled, ignoring their shocked and terrified expressions.

"I'm sorry that it has to be like this, my love. But don't worry. I'll fix everything now," Yuuhiko said, draining the vial's contents into the groove in the spear tip. Natsu, Lucy and Happy watched with dread as the blood reached the tip of the staff and spread into the clear body of the shaft tinting the base red. The clock gears began to whirl and move on their own, ticking away in the murky scarlet liquid. Yuuhiko sliced the very air in front of him and it split apart, like a rip in space and time itself.

"What is that? Happy shouted.

"I'll make you mine yet Lucy," Yuuhiko smiled, placing a foot into the vortex.

"Like hell you will!" Natsu screamed, chasing after the blonde man. Yuuhiko barely had time to turn around before he was tackled by Natsu, both men falling into the unknown abyss.

"NATSU!" the dragon-slayer heard Lucy call out to him just as the rip behind him closed.

* * *

><p><strong>I hope you all enjoy this final part of chapter 3 and look forward to chapter 4! Please comment and review. I would like to know what you think of all of this! Oh, and sorry it took so long to get to this point but I hope you all think that it was worth the wait<strong>


	6. Chapter 4: Water for Free?

**It's been solved! It's been solved! It's been solved! The answer to question, what inspired me to write this story is the song, "How's It Gonna Be" by Third Eye Blind, with the words, "nothing" and "Blind" being the answer to appropriate blanks in the riddle.**

**I would like to thank everyone who tried! I had fun trying to help most of you figure it out and I hope that you all had fun too! :)  
><strong>

**So the new question will be at the bottom of the page. :) It's also impossible to get wrong so as long you give it shot, you'll earn yourself a dedication!**

**But as for this chapter, I would like to dedicate it to my lovely beta-reader R.M. Taulth. :) I love you girl!  
><strong>

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 4: Water for Free?<br>**

_"NATSU!" the dragon-slayer heard Lucy call out to him just as the rip behind him closed._

"ARGH!" Natsu growled latching onto Yuuhiko.

"Get off me you lowlife!" he screeched, struggling to free himself from the dragon-slayer's grip.

"Like hell I will!"

"I said let go urchin!" Yuuhiko yelled, knocking himself loose from Natsu's grip with a hard strike from the butt of the spear.

"Argh!" Natsu cried out, opening his eyes to glare at Yuuhiko who was oddly flying away from him.

'Wha-? How?' Natsu thought, turning his head around him to realize that, rather than Yuuhiko flying away, _he_ was falling.

"AAHHHH!" Natsu yelled, throwing out his arms and trying to paddle through the air as if it were water but to no use.

"Hahaha!" a callous voice laughed out, catching Natsu's attention once again. "I'll see you in time dragon-slayer!"

"You just wait there you bastard! I'll get you!" Natsu roared, despite that he was continuing his fall. Yuuhiko only laughed at his comment but the dragon-slayer didn't have the time to dwell on the blonde's condescending attitude as a bright light began to glow from below under him. He looked down, the hot, blinding flash first overtaking his feet and then his legs until soon it completely enveloped him. "AAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" he cried out in his last moments of consciousness before he submitted to the white abyss that greedily sucked him in.

* * *

><p>'Lucy's bed is really uncomfortable today,' Natsu grumbled, as he flipped over on his side in attempt to find a softer spot but to no avail. It felt like he was asleep on a bunch of rocks and reluctantly, he opened his eyes to the unusual sight of peoples shoes scurrying past him under a flagstone road. 'Huh? Since when is Lucy's bed in the middle of the street?' the dragon-slayer pondered, feeling more than dazed.<p>

"Where am I?" he mused aloud, realizing that Lucy's bed was nowhere in sight and that he was lying in the middle of a busy street. The people walked around him, ignoring his presence as they would do with any vagabond in middle of the road. He blinked groggily around him, the bright sunlight causing him to temporarily go blind. He could smell the sea in the distance and heard the seagull's hungry cries.

"Ahhh!" he cried out in dulled pain, clutching his head after sitting up. The simple motion had triggered something within him and awakened his body's senses, which was mainly pain at this moment. His throbbed agonizingly and his muscles felt as if he had just gone several rounds with Erza after having accidentally ruined her piece of cake.

"Hey! He's not dead!" a child's voice chimed, directing the dragon-slayer's attention to his left where the owner sat on the stoop of a store with three other young children.

"But he sure is a weirdo for falling asleep in the middle of the road like that," another commented.

"Hey! I am not a weirdo! My friend, Luce, now _she_ is a weirdo." Natsu shouted to them from his position on the ground. He felt oddly drained of energy and didn't want to move too much just yet.

"Ah! He's talking to us! Should we answer him?" one of the children asked after turning his head and having brought up a hand to his mouth. It was as if his hand could be used as a shield to somehow prevent the dragon-slayer from hearing his question. However, the children were conversing far too loud for that to be the case.

"My mom told me never to talk to strangers, particularly weird ones."

"I told you already, I'm not weird!" Natsu growled, never realizing that this might be how Lucy felt whenever he called her the same name.

"Only weird people say they're not weird."

"Hmmm, Luce does always seem to deny it when I call her a 'weirdo' so I guess that makes sense but I'm really not weird. I promise," Natsu swore, finally standing up and dusting himself off before walking over to them.

"Prove it," one demanded.

"Ummmm, oh! I know! Watch this!" Natsu told them eagerly, looking around for the one ingredient essential to his trick, _fire_. Luckily for him, a blacksmith was nearby. Whether it was to enjoy the nice weather or that the smithy worked outside every day, the burly man was forcefully striking a hard piece of rod iron before stowing it in a fiery pit to keep it malleable. Natsu excitedly sauntered towards the kiln and put a hand in the fire and scooped up a flame much to the blacksmith's and the children's dismay.

"Oi! You'll get hurt!" the iron technician yelled to Natsu's deaf ears. But his cries became muted when the youth did not yelp out in agony or seem affected by the flames at all. Instead, the ball of fire danced in his hand and the blacksmith felt his eyes drift up to the young man's face, his lips spread into a coy smirk. "Wh-What the-?"

"Thank you for the meal mister!" Natsu exclaimed, turning his back to the stunned smithy and downed the fire, letting out a satisfied belch afterwards.

"Ah-ah!" The blacksmith stuttered, not knowing just how he should react to what he just saw. A boy had just stuck his hand into his fire pit, plucked a ball of flames from it, and then ate it like a regular meal. No normal person should be able to do that!

"COOL!" the children shouted in unison! "You're not a weirdo at all!"

"Hehe! Told ya so!" Natsu grinned. "Speaking of weirdos, remember how I mentioned my friend Luigi-"

"I thought you said it was Lucy."

"Oh yeah, Luce, Lucy actually. Well, have seen her around? She's pretty big, ummm, around here," Natsu said, cupping the air around his chest as if it were a woman's breast. "She's a bit shorter than me, has blonde hair, brown eyes, and is about the biggest weirdo I know."

"Hmmm, I haven't seen anyone like that around here, and we would have heard about a weird person roaming around town believe me! Nothing gets by the Urchin Boys!" the one stated proudly.

"Urchin Boys? That sounds like tasty! Is it that a food?" Natsu asked, the small ball of fire not nearly enough food to satisfy his appetite.

"No! That's us! That's what we call ourselves!" another child told him, a tad upset that Natsu had mistaken their group for something edible.

"Oh, like a guild?"

"Yeah! Like a guild!"

"Why don't you guys just join a real guild then?"

"Because we're too young dummy! Our mom's won't let us go exploring yet!"

"Oh, well I guess it can't be helped then," Natsu shrugged, throwing up to hands behind his head before turning to walk away from them. "See you guys later!" he called out, waving goodbye to them with the back of his hand.

"See you!" They chimed out, watching him go. Collectively, they cocked their heads when he froze in his tracks no more than ten feet away.

"WAIT! JUST WHERE THE HELL AM I!" he hollered, running back up to the trio of children.

"You don't even know where you are?" the one snorted in disbelief.

"Well, I can't remember much of what happened before this. I think I was fighting, Lucy was there …and so was Happy!" he exclaimed, the details slowly coming back to him. The images were foggy but became clearer and more defined as he concentrated. First he remembered the mission that Lucy had picked and how her hair had looked especially glossy that day when a hole in the Fairy Tail ceiling, caused from the brawl, shone an angelic light down on her, not that she noticed. Then he remembered going to the witch's house and how perfectly Lucy's hand had molded into his when Madame Elle had placed it there. It just proved how a good of a team they were, or at least that was what he had thought at the moment and even now. But soon he would realize that it meant more.

Images, like reels from a movie kept flashing through his mind and he remembered reaching Yuuhiko's mansion and how Lucy had been, like always, annoyingly right about the trap. Then there was the disturbing room dedicated to Lucy that he had burnt to a crisp. He hadn't cared much for the bizarre mementos found in the study. The dragon-slayer grudgingly accepted that he also kept a few items of Lucy's, but they were only souvenirs of their missions together. What he found in that mansion was different. They were reminders of the life that Lucy hated, a life that she had left behind and did not want to return to. One that Natsu didn't want her to return to either. So he burned the room and ended up sending that guy crashing through the floor. He jumped down after him a second later and to find the real Lucy, not some half-hearted smiling, oil-painted portrait like what was in the upstairs room. They fought against that Yuuhiko guy, her supposed fiancé until they chased him into the hallway. Natsu remembered charging after the blonde man into the portal and finally being knocked loose and sent careening down into the white void until he landed here.

"THAT BASTARD!" Natsu bellowed, his fists lighting up at the thought. How could he forget about Yuuhiko! He was going to make him pay!

"WHOA! His fists can light up too!" one of the children exclaimed, bringing Natsu out of his rage.

"Hey, if you can make fire, why did you steal some from the blacksmith?"

Natsu scrunched up his face at the question. Wasn't it obvious that that was gross? Even Lucy had asked him that one time and despite being a weirdo, she was smart. Speaking of the blonde, he needed to get back to her _and_ his teammates. They were probably worrying about him. He didn't even consider the fact that they may have been defeated. Those two guys weren't _that_ tough after all, and Lucy and Happy had been left with no one to fight so they should be fine as long as they got out of the burning hallway. But to get back to them, he would first need to learn where he was.

"So can you guys tell me where I am or not?" Natsu demanded, ignoring the one child's previous question.

"Hargeon, stupid."

"Hargeon, that's only about a day's walk away from Fairy Tail, half a day if he ran, and no more than eight hours if he ran at top speed!" Natsu smiled, happy to think that he would see his friends again soon. Surely Lucy, Erza, Happy, and Gray had made it back there by now and if not, he could brag to that exhibitionist how he beat them back without riding the damn train when they did get back.

"Hey mister, how did you end up here if you didn't know where here was?"

Natsu looked down at the child, his shaggy, black hair just falling into his blue eyes. The dragon-slayer honestly didn't know how he got here himself. All he could remember was chasing after Yuuhiko, fighting him in that odd space, and then waking up here.

"I have no idea," he grinned before ruffling the kid's hair and running off in the direction of Magnolia, sprinting as fast as his legs could carry him.

* * *

><p>He ran for nearly nine hours and had only just reached the outskirts of Magnolia. The dragon-slayer had greatly overestimated his abilities as he tended to do in battle. But, as usual, he pulled through. Natsu walked through the streets sluggishly, desperately wishing for a drink but knew that Mira would give him whatever he liked free of charge if he held out until the guild.<p>

"Oi, what did the Old Man do the guild this time?" Natsu wondered aloud as he turned the corner and caught sight his beloved guild. The massive building had been redecorated…again, except now it looked exactly the same as it had been before it was destroyed in the Phantom Lord Guild incident. And although Natsu had been against the structure's change initially, he had grown accustomed to the way it had been rebuilt now.

'But I suppose this style is good too,' he thought, trying his best to re-acclimate himself to the sight. It just seemed so out of date now though, no matter how many times he told himself to think otherwise. He had never much cared for the past, even if it did hold pleasant memories. The dragon-slayer was far more interested in the present and the future. 'Bah, it's no good just standing out here staring at it. I'll go inside and ask Mira what it's all about,' Natsu reasoned.

"Oi guys! I'm back!" Natsu called out gleefully, kicking open the doors in typical Natsu fashion. The fact that no one called out a 'hello' or 'welcome back' didn't bother the mage as he sauntered up to the bar, oblivious to the many eyes focused on him. "Hey Mira! Get me a drink!"

"What can I get you?" the fair haired barkeeper asked.

"Ah, Mira, come on. You know my favorite," Natsu whined, too lazy to bother with her and tell her to pour him a glass on fire whiskey.

"Uh-umm…. I'm sorry but could you refresh my memory?" She faltered for a brief moment.

Natsu gave her look that clearly showed just how stupid he thought she was acting. "Fire whiskey, Mira. Fire whiskey, that's my favorite drink remember?"

"I-I'll be sure to store in my memory for next time," Mira laughed nervously. Natsu sighed and rested his head on the table as she went about getting him a tumbler and grabbing the bottle of alcohol.

A click of glass hitting the wooden table alerted him that she was done. He gave her a full grin and reached for the shot glass but found that it wouldn't budge. The dragon-slayer cracked open an eye to see what was obstructing him from downing the fiery liquid only to see Mira's delicate hands holding tight onto the glass, a thin smile spread across her lips.

"What gives Mira?"

"You haven't paid yet. That will be 5,000 Jewels."

"What? You can't be serious! You're not _really_ charging me for this are you!"

"Of course I am! We'd go broke if we just let anyone walk in here and drink for free," she answered, her smile never failing.

"But I'm not just _anyone_, I'm Natsu."

"It doesn't matter who you are, I need 5,000 Jewels or no whiskey."

"Fine, get me a glass of water then. I still get that for free right?" Natsu snorted.

"Whatever you want," she beamed, pouring the Fire whiskey back into the bottle and rinsing out the shot glass before pouring him a glass of water. "Call me if you want anything else!" Mira told him, her smile remaining plastered on her face despite Natsu's grumbling.

"Can't even get a drink after a long mission," the dragon-slayer muttered before taking a sip of his water. He took a good glance around the guild, noticing a few eyes lingering on him. He ignored the looks however, more focused on finding his teammates and his blonde friend. "Hey Mira, where are Gray, Erza, and the others?"

"Others?" the barmaid repeated inquisitively.

"Yeah, Lucy and Happy?"

"I'm sorry, but are you a client of some sort?"

"What? No. It's _me_, Natsu. Geez, what's wrong with you today?" the dragon-slayer snorted.

"Well, I'm sorry to tell you this but if you're looking for Gray or Erza they just left on a mission together. As for a Lucy or Happy, we don't have any guild members with such names or nicknames for that matter."

"Mira, I'm really starting to think you should go to the infirmary now. You're almost as strange as Lucy."

"I appreciate your concern but I feel like I'm in perfect health and I still don't know who this Lucy person is," Mira told him, her trademark smile falling into a frown. She was starting to get an odd feeling from this boy and was contemplating on just how she should go about handling it.

"Stop joking around Mira!" Natsu roared, silencing the entire guild. If Mira said that she wasn't feeling well, it meant that she had to be joking and the dragon-slayer was getting rather sick of the woman's prank.

"Yelling at a woman is rather unmanly," a voice echoed from behind him

"It's not my fault Elfman," Natsu tried to explain, "Mira here is the one who keeps joking around and saying that she hasn't even _heard_ of Lucy or Happy before."

Elfman glanced up at his sister questioningly who shrugged her shoulders.

"This guy-"

"I'm _Natsu_!" the pink haired boy growled, earning him a sharp glare from Elfman.

"-Natsu here was asking about a Lucy and Happy, who he claims are a part of our guild. I told him that there was no one in this guild with that name and he got angry," Mira finished her explanation to Elfman.

"Of course I'm angry! How can I honestly believe that you don't know them! They're our nakama!"

"Nakama?" Elfman questioned.

"Yeah, they're Fairy Tail mages just like us! We've fought for them and they've fought for all of us! How could you say you don't know them!"

"Us?" Mira asked this time.

"WHAT IS WITH YOU TWO!" Natsu hollered. "Yes, _us_, me, you, Erza, Gray, all of us Fairy Tail mages!"

"I'm sorry, but what was your name again?" Mira asked.

Natsu turned to look at her incredulously, before breathing out into separate breaths, "Nat- su."

"We don't have a Natsu either." Mira said quietly, but Natsu heard it anyway and found that those mere six words managed to freeze him to his very core. He felt like the world had stopped spinning. His stomach lurched like he was riding some mode of transportation but he knew that he wasn't. He could feel his breathing become shallow and his everything around him seemed to move in slow motion.

'She couldn't have really just said that? How_ can_ she even say something like that?' the dragon-slayer thought, his shock giving way to fury.

"What did you say?" he asked, his voice surprisingly calm, but uncharacteristically low.

"I-I said that we don't have a Natsu in Fairy Tail either," Mira stuttered, sensing the dark aura emanating from the pink-haired boy.

"ARGH! HOW CAN YOU SAY THAT? FAIRY TAIL HAS BEEN MY HOME SINCE I WAS A KID AND THE OLD MAN BROUGHT ME HERE!" the dragon-slayer roared, fire erupting around his body. His rage prevented him from hearing the clamor within the guild and the army of former comrades poised against him. Elfman's beastly hand ended Natsu's irate and desperate cries after it sent him crashing into the other side of the guild.

"No member of Fairy Tail would ever yell like that at Mira!" Macao spat, garnering up balls of purple fire and preparing himself for an attack.

"If I truly don't belong here how I do know all of your names!" Natsu bellowed.

"Who knows? You probably looked us all up somewhere. We _are_ a rather famous guild," Alzack sneered, pistols drawn.

"WHAT ABOUT MY MARK THEN!" Natsu yelled, remembering the one piece of irrefutable proof he had to prove that he was a member of this guild.

"What mark?" Cana asked, her eyes searching over his body for the telltale Fairy Tail insignia.

"THIS ONE!" the dragon-slayer hollered, using his left hand to refer to his right shoulder. There was silence and a few of nakama crooked an eyebrow. Frustrated at their confused stares, Natsu looked down to see one of the most terrifying sights he could ever imagine. His stamp was gone. "Wh-What? H-How? Where did it go?" he asked himself frantically, rubbing his shoulder rigorously as if it was hidden under an invisible layer of dirt and all he needed to do was brush it away. "WHERE DID IT GO!" Fire burst from every pore of his body and a terrible anger began to consume him. He didn't know what was going on but it was driving him towards the brink of insanity.

"THAT'S QUITE ENOUGH!" an elderly voice called out, easing the tension in the room and quelling the dragon-slayer's flames.

"Master," they all whispered, even Natsu, earning him a few pointed glares as they still considered him an imposter.

"You!" Makarov said, pointing to Natsu, "I will not tolerate those who upset my children. Leave this guild. It is not your home now, nor will it ever be," he finished, glaring at the incredulous mage, his tone low and deadly.

"B-But," Natsu stuttered, completely unnerved. Even Makarov didn't remember him, just what the hell was going on here.

"Get out before we consider you our enemy," the old mage instructed. Natsu hung his head low and stood there in the guild motionless before a strangled laugh ripped through his throat.

"Haha! You guys are too funny," Natsu smiled, belying the tears welling up in his eyes. "This is just a joke and Lucy and everyone else is just hiding in the back. I bet that that asshole Gray put you all up to this huh?"

He paused, waiting for a response but only an awkward silence met his question.

"Guys? This is just a joke right? You must know me," the last statement sounded more like a plea than a fact.

"This is no joke young man. Now I will tell you to leave a third time," Makarov warned.

"Y-You guys really…don't know me?" Natsu asked, his words causing him immense pain.

"No. Now leave and do not return. You don't belong here." The old mage answered, eyeing the dragon-slayer harshly and Natsu knew that this was joke. The suspicion had crept upon him after noticing their serious and hard expressions but now he couldn't help but resign himself to the fact that they were telling the truth. Or at least, that is the truth that they felt at the moment and right then, they didn't know him. He was a stranger, a dangerous individual that needed to leave, but he couldn't.

"B-But, Fairy Tail…it's my only home. It doesn't matter if my stamp is gone-" Natsu pleaded but was interrupted as a boulder was hurled at him, forcing him to dodge. The dragon-slayer hit the ground hard and smelled the iron traces of blood dripping down from his knee. He looked up, shocked that they had actually attacked him, even though he knew that if they had actually been trying to hurt him, he wouldn't have been able to dodge it. The faces that met his eyes were stern and uncaring. He was not their nakama.

Natsu felt his words hitch up in his throat before he screamed, "I DON'T CARE IF IT COSTS ME MY LIFE! I WILL MAKE YOU GUYS REMEMBER ME!" But before they could respond, or even possibly attack, Natsu felt his body lift itself off the floor. He didn't even realize that he was running, salty tears streaming down his face until he caught sight of his reflection in the river. But just because he knew what he was doing now didn't make him stop or slow down. Natsu needed to get away and he didn't know how else to do it aside from running. The dragon-slayer just couldn't take their hard gazes anymore nor their insistent denials of him not being their nakama. It was too much.

'Why don't they remember me!' he thought desperately as he continued to run to the place where he felt most comfortable aside from the guild, Lucy's apartment. He didn't give much credence to the fact that she might not be there because in his mind, she had to be. The woman worked too hard to keep that place to let it go no matter what was going on so his feet continued to fall in front of him, pulling him closer to a discovery that he was not ready for.

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><p><strong>Anyone has any guesses as to why Natsu ended up in Hargeon? I'm eager to here why you think he's there. <strong>**:)  
><strong>


	7. Chapter 8: Of Friends and Enemies

Old Friends and Enemys

A/N: Le gasp. I'm alive. Although if you followed the Hetalia fanfic you might know that. So yes, I was discouraged for a while and I'm sorry it took me so long to finish this. It really didn't need that much work. I suppose now that I've graduated, am no longer working 70+ hours a week (I know it sounds like a little but it sure doesn't feel like it) I know have more time for writing. I still can't say as to how often I'll update but I promise at least once every other month if not sooner. Sowwy. Thanks for the support and I hope you like the chapter. I know Natsu is a bit whiny and emotional but imagine if everyone who was important to you, forgot you. I know his character is rather optomisitc but if everyone you knew didn't know you, I don't care how happy-go-lucky you are, I think you'd be pretty upset. With that being said, here's chapter 7!

Also, shout out to xporcelain, , and Gunpowder Cookies who got the question right (in chronically logical order). Natsu is in Haregon because that is where he first met Lucy, *hint, hint, wink, wink*

Natsu ran through the streets of Magnolia, frantically making his way to the only other place that truly felt like home to him; Lucy's apartment. His feet fell hard against the cobblestone road and he vaguely registered his labored panting as he rounded the corner. Lucy's window sill was now in sight. The dragon-slayer skidded to a halt outside of the blonde's apartment, staring up at the familiar opening. A sliver of hope bubbled up within him.

'Lucy will explain everything!' he thought in a fervor. He had been so confused, so hurt, and in a way he had never thought possible… but Lucy would surely explain whatever was going on to him. She was the brain he never had although he'd never admit it.

In a single bound, he cleared the distance separating the second floor window and the ground and crawled into the room through the open space. Unlike with the guild, he knew something was wrong instantly. Her scent was completely absent from the room and instead an old, staling scent wafted around him.

"AAAHHHHHH!" A feminine voice shrieked, the magnitude of the scream catching Natsu off guard and sending him careening onto the bedroom floor.

"Honey! What's the matter?!" a gruff voice called out, rushing into the bedroom. "HEY! WHO ARE YOU?!" the large and burly man called out to Natsu who was just staggering to his feet and recovering from his tumble.

"Wha…?" was all Natsu was able to muster in response. His head was now reeling and it wasn't completely from the fall.

"I said, 'Who are you?' and what are you doing in my house!?" the man bellowed, his fury only slightly dulled at the intruder's obvious confusion.

"Your house? This is Lucy's apartment! Where is she!? If you've done anything to her…!" Natsu said, letting the threat trail off as his fists ignited in flames. No doubt his thoughts were jumbled but if Lucy wasn't at the guild and she wasn't at home, Natsu was sure something bad had happened to her and the best suspects as far as he could surmise were whoever had taken up residence in the blond mage's apartment. After all, Lucy was rather defensive and touchy about who she let stay over at her place.

"We don't know any Lucy. The landlady said that this place hadn't been rented out in years before we moved in. I think you have the wrong place," the man answered, the bite leaving his tone at the sight of Natsu's flame encased hands. But regardless of the possible destruction nature of the pink-haired intruder the older man refused to yield his position if only for the sake of his wife.

Natsu paused, taking in the man's defensive stance and adamant tone. The dragon-slayer knew he wasn't one to pick up on subtleties but if he was forced into doing so now, judging from everything he was seeing and had heard, this man was defending his home from an intruder. And the intruder was _him_. A flicker of anger washed over Natsu; He wasn't the bad guy. He was the victim. Everything was horribly wrong and no one would tell him what was going on or how to fix it.

He _needed_ Lucy right now. The dragon-slayer jutted his head into the air and took a few long sniffs. Much to his chagrin, he couldn't pick up even the slightest trace of Lucy. It was as if she truly had never lived here.

'No,' was the only thought that passed through the dragon-slayer's mind as he pushed past the burly man and what Natsu presumed to be his wife into the living room. The woman squeaked and the man grunted, taken aback by Natsu's actions, but the salmon haired youth paid them no mind. Instead, he headed directly to the kitchen and stopped just below a low hanging wooden beam.

"It's not there," he murmured.

"_Natsu! Do something!" Lucy screeched as bright orange flames licked and tasted the ceiling of the apartment._

"_Don't worry. I'm on it Luce!" Natsu grinned, his fists alight in a smoldering blaze._

"_No__,__ you idiot!" the blonde hollered, pausing from her frantic attempt to gather up her most precious belonging to throw a book a Natsu. If her apartment did turn to ashes, she was determined to spare her possessions._

"_Well__,__ what do you want me to do then?" Natsu grumbled, rubbing the back of his head where Lucy's book had found__ its __target._

"_I don't know! Something OTHER than making it worse!"_

"_But-"_

"_I know! Eat it! You like fire right!? Well, I give you permission to go have a snack!" Lucy exclaimed, slightly impressed that she had been able to think of such a perfect solution._

"_Sweet! I'm starvin'!" Natsu smiled at her before jumping towards the growing inferno and eating his fill. Lucy watched him in amusement as he greedily snapped at the flames that threatened to burn down her apartment. Finally, the fire was completely snuffed out and Natsu sat in the middle of the blonde's kitchen, belly enlarged and a contented smile on his face._

"_Thanks for the meal Luce," he said, before letting out a large belch._

"_Ugh," the blond answered, scrunching up her nose at his lack of manners before surveying the damage. "This place is a real mess," she sighed quietly before redirecting her attention back to Natsu. "Just what were you trying to do?"_

"_I wanted to make you breakfast," Natsu answered, his smile turning into one of his typical grins. Lucy couldn't help but return it, touched at his thoughtfulness__; that is, __until he followed his statement up__. _

"_Yeah, you seemed pretty tired and cranky and I knew that with you being all upset like that that there was no way you would agree to go on a mission with me today. I got us a really good one that should be able to pay your rent for a few months!" the dragon-slayer laughed, soon realizing that his chuckle was the only sound to be heard throughout the entire room. Slowly __peeking out with an __open __eye__, __he__ stared up at Lucy__. She __was visibly shaking and although Natsu didn't know why she was upset, he could tell that she was angry judging by the heavy pan held high above her head._

"_You should really learn to quit while you're ahead," she murmured before bringing down the skillet on Natsu's head__,__ resulting in a heavy thud that reverberated throughout the apartment._

_Natsu screeched out an indignant howl and clutched his head while Lucy walked away miffed and mumbling about going out for some supplies. She came back a few hours later with sand paper, wood finisher, and some other fire repair items along with a bottle of aspirin._

"_Here," she commanded, thrusting the bottle into Natsu's hands and turning away to face the carnage. Natsu smiled and set the pills down on the counter. He knew that the aspirin had been her attempt at apologizing but he didn't really feel like he needed it. His headache was already going away at the mere sight of her. The dragon-slayer took a few short strides until he placed himself next to Lucy and put an arm around her shoulder. She looked mildly surprised at first but then flashed him a sincere smile. The rest of the night was rather monotonous as they worked to erase the damage and while they managed to clear most of burned wood, one persist__ent__ patch just above the stove where the fire originated would not concede defeat. _

_Natsu sighed and slumped to the ground in failure as Lucy still worked at the burnt wood._

"_I'm really sorry Luce," he said, apologizing for the first time. He could hear Lucy's frenzied cleaning come to __a__ halt and he sw__o__r__e__ he could feel her eyes peer right through him. Natsu felt his heart sink when__,__ instead of Lucy reassuring him that it was ok, she walked away. However, his depression turned into confusion as he heard the blond stop a few feet away from him and begin to rummage through a drawer. He peered up at her, noticing grimly that she had taken out a rather sharp knife._

'_Apparently the frying pan wasn't enough,' he mused ruefully, casting his eyes back down at his feet, awaiting whatever punishment Lucy had in store for him. However, he was thrown aback when he began to hear the dull cry of wood being scraped away and looked up to find Lucy chipping away at the burnt bits of wood. Her brown eyes were focused on the task at hand just as Natsu's were fixed on her._

"_There," she breathed, taking a step back to admire her work before glancing down at Natsu and smiling at him. Curious to see just what she had done, Natsu removed himself from the floor and stood next to her, stunned at what she had done. Lucy had carved a heart and a dragon onto the wooden plank before having scratched in,_

"_Lucy and Natsu, Fairy Tail's No. 1 Team!"_

_The dragon-slayer looked back at her incredulously, apparently making Lucy think further explanation was required._

"_I drew a dragon for you because of the whole 'Dragneel' and dragon-slayer thing and a heart for me because my last name is Heartphilia. I thought it fit us both quite nicely," she smiled before Natsu pulled into a hug. She laughed at his embrace and he laughed hearing her melodious voice. The two eventually pulled apart only for Natsu to state that he was hungry and that he would cook them dinner, earning himself a hard glare from Lucy._

And now Natsu stood, staring at a perfectly unmarked slate of wood.

"How? It can't be," he mumbled, taking ginger steps away from the kitchen overhang.

"L-Listen kid," a voice called out, interrupting the dragon-slayer's spiraling thoughts. "We don't want any trouble but I'm gonna have to ask you to leave," the burly man said, still fearful of the display of magical power Natsu showed them earlier but unwilling to back down and let the intruder continue freely about his home.

Natsu didn't need to be asked twice and bolted out the window, tears streaming down his face.

'This is all wrong! All wrong!' he thought, not bothering wherever his feet were taking him. At this point, he didn't care much where he went as long as it started to make sense. The wind bristled by him, sharply nipping at the tear ridden streaks on his cheeks. The sense brought on a numbing feeling and with his mind currently preoccupied it took him sometime to realize that he had stopped running. He blinked and looked around the clearing and if it were possible, he could feel his innards tear themselves apart even more. A fresh stream of salty tears poured down his face as his knees gave out, forcing him to the ground.

"My home, mine and Happy's home," he breathed out, fighting back sobs as he directed his gaze to stare at the grass now clutched between his fingertips. Some part of him cried out, wanting to believe that none of this was real and that his home, the happy wooden shack that he and his best friend lived in together, had not been reduced to mere shambles and broken beams amidst a crowded tree line. However, another part of him knew that this _was_ real. There was no way he or anyone else could induce such a horrific nightmare and if that didn't quell his doubts, the smells, sounds, and feel of everything else did. The green blades held captive in his grip tickled his palms and he could feel the soil loosen when he tried to uproot the foliage. Not even a master mage could make an illusion feel this real.

Unbeknownst to the distraught dragon-slayer, a pair of black irises followed is every movement as he knelt in emerald field. Without much thought, Natsu found himself back on his feet once more. He walked into the dense line of trees, and like the last time, he didn't care as to where he was going. The only difference between the two scenarios were the calm and tired steps he made this time compared to his frantic and frenzied attitude earlier. The trees rattled and shook as he progressed farther into the forest but he paid them little mind. Not that he had much mind to spare at the time. His brain was still trying to process just what was going on. No one knew who he was anymore, that was certain. Lucy didn't exist or at least she didn't live here anymore and everything he could ever rely on had vanished. And while Natsu hadn't been paying much attention to his step, he certainly noticed when a tight noose pulled around his ankle and hoisted him high I the air.

"Hah hah! We caught something boys," a deep voice rumbled. Natsu wrinkled his nose at the stench of the impending creature, briefly wondering how he had not noticed the stench before. Four pairs of eyes, three amber and one crimson, peeked out through the foliage.

"What's going on? Who are you?" Natsu snarled. He didn't fight against his restraints though. He could feel the course rope pull against his ankle and instantly recognized the material as highly flammable meaning he could escape whenever he chose. Instead, he wanted to know about his captives, perhaps even relieve some of the stress he felt by beating them to pulps. Whichever turned out to be more beneficial really.

"Hah! Stupid human. We are the masters of this forest," one of the creatures sneered as they made their way into the clearing, revealing itself. A loud, stinking Vulcan emerged from the foliage followed by three others, the first of whom who had broken through the tree line being the owner of the crimson irises that had followed the dragon slayer.

"Humph, and what makes you so great that you made yourselves masters?" Natsu bit.

"We trap foolish humans like yourself and eat them," one of Vulcans answered.

"Well I ain't just a regular human," Natsu smirked, burning through the rope. Flames licked at his heels, lighting the clearing up in an intense blaze whilst supporting the dragon-slayer until he managed to right himself and be ready for a battle. He Vulcans, though taken by surprise, refused to back down.

"Get him," the one Vulcan cried as the three amber-eyed Vulcans lunged for him. Natsu dodged the attacks as well as placing a few blows of his own, clearly upsetting the Vulcan leader.

"You fools!" he cried out, but still refusing to the join the battle.

"Dragon-slayer's Roar!" Natsu cried just before flames spewed from his lips, igniting all four of the Vulcans.

"Yargh!" the three lackeys yelled as they ran back into the brush to lick their wounds and damaged egos.

"Y-Yo-You brat," the leader spat, huffing through his clenched and charred teeth. "I'll end you!" he cried as he lunged for the dragon-slayer.

"Special Rescue Time!" a small voice, albeit amplified through the battle cry, announced before a small rock hit the Vulcan square in the head before the creature could have hoped to reach Natsu.

"Huh?" both dragon-slayer and Vulcan answered in response.

"Special Flying Away Technique!" a small blob cried out, grasping hold of Natsu and spiriting him away from the Vulcan.

"Hey!" Natsu yelled as he fought against his flying captor whilst his former enemy screamed for him to return and finish their fight, an idea Natsu was all too eager to pursue.

"Stooop squirming or we'll both fall," the creature said.

"Like hell," Natsu answered bitterly, renewing his effort to escape the creature's grasp. Finally, his hand reached up and felt a familiar feather sensation before it quickly disappeared.

"I said don't touch!" the creature said before the two plummeted towards the ground.

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><p>No question but comments appreciated. Thanks!<p> 


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